Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Clottey: “I promise that I will dethrone him” [Pacquiao]

By Sean McDaniel: Former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey is confident that he has what it takes to beat World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao in their fight on March 13th, at the Dallas Cowboy stadium, in Arlington, Texas. In an article at Ghanaweb< Clottey, 32, said “I know its Pacquiao, but I don’t want people thinking that Manny is super, that nobody can beat him. He is a human being like me. He has lost three times and I have also lost three times. We speak, laugh and share jokes together. I promise that I will dethrone him” [Pacquiao].

Clottey doesn’t seem bothered by all the people who are giving him almost zero chance to beat Pacquiao. Clottey has been in against some tough world class opponents during his career, in fights against Miguel Cotto, Zab Judah, Diego Corrales and Antonio Margarito. One problem that Clottey has is that he’s only had mixed results when stepping it.

Clottey has lost to Cotto, Margarito and Carlos Baldomir during his career. There’s no shame in losing to good fighters like them, but Clottey doesn’t have a lot of other wins against notable opponents to make up for his losses against some of the best opponents he’s faced.

In the fights that Clottey has lost, he’s generally fought very well during patches of the fight. However, in almost every case, Clottey has seemed to run out of gas and have his work rate suffer as the rounds progressed late into the fight. Even in some of the fights that Clottey has won, he’s faded late and turned fights that should have been a lopsided win or knockout into a fight that turned to be much closer than it should have.

Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, will likely have Pacquiao following a fight plan which involves Pacquiao using quick in and out attacks to avoid getting hit by Clottey. Roach won’t want Pacquiao to stand in front of Clottey and try to slug with him because of Clottey’s bigger size, good hand speed and strong chin.

Clottey isn’t the type of fighter that can easily be knocked out. This is why their March 13th fight could turn out to be a very boring fight with Pacquiao winning it by hitting and running. Roach says that Clottey will make for an exciting fight for fans, but it could turn out completely opposite of that with Pacquiao fighting on the move for 12 rounds.

 

[heyzel]

Roach: “We [Pacquiao] have to fight the perfect fight” [to beat Mayweather]

By Dave Lahr: In an interview from writer Gareth Davies at The Telegraph, trainer Freddie Roach revealed that his fighter Manny Pacquiao would have to “fight the perfect fight” to beat Floyd Mayweather Jr. You can say that again, Roach. Pacquiao would have to not only fight the perfect fight, but Mayweather might have to help out by having an incredibly bad night for Pacquiao to win this fight.

I think Mayweather would be too big and too quick for Pacquiao unless Manny fought the absolute best fight of his life and Floyd had a brain freeze on the same night. Roach thinks that he’s spotted some weakness in Mayweather’s game, saying “I’d been looking at how Mayweather reacts against southpaw fighters. There’s quite a difference to how he reacts with right handed fighters. He’s not that comfortable with the southpaw stance. It gets him in a little trouble.”

Roach is obviously talking about Mayweather’s fight with Zab Judah in 2006. Mayweather fought tentatively in the first four rounds of the fight against the then lighting fast and powerful southpaw Judah. But Mayweather took over the fight completely from the 5th round on and never looked back.

Judah was tough because he didn’t attack Mayweather like Pacquiao will likely do. Judah gave Mayweather very few chances to land counter punches in the early going of that fight, forcing Mayweather to initiate the attacks. Mayweather prefers to wait on his opponents and look for opportunities to land counter punches when his oppositions comes to him trying to land. Mayweather did look a little uncomfortable in the early part of that fight, but Judah was so fast back then and very controlled offensively. There was little for Mayweather to counter in the early part of that fight.

Roach says “It’s a complicated game plain I was beginning to put together.” I don’t know that Mayweather is the type of fighter that can be beaten with an artificial game plan. I think if anything, Roach might end up screwing Pacquiao up if he makes him follow some pre-planned pattern to try and beat a fighter like Mayweather. Floyd changes his game plan from second to second, and if you have Pacquiao stuck on plan A trying to beat a constantly improvising Mayweather, the fight could quickly turn into a route for Mayweather.

Pacquiao has got to be able to think for himself and adapt along with Mayweather, and using some mold that’s been dreamed up by Roach after seeing a fight four years ago or whenever. That fight was long ago against a different opponent. Mayweather fights differently based on who he’s up against in a fight, and what opportunities are there for him to capitalize on.

Roach says “You look at the way Floyd fights. If you put pressure on him, on the ropes, he rolls and ducks, and counters and if you get too aggressive, he’ll walk you so cleverly onto a counter punch.” That’s what I mean. Pacquiao would have a terrible time trying to attack a defensive fighter like Mayweather.

Every time Manny comes forward trying to land, Mayweather will move and counter and probably make Pacquiao look really bad. Mayweather is much different compared to any of Pacquiao’s recent opponents. In fact, I can’t think of any fighter that Pacquiao has ever fought that is similar to Mayweather. Pacquiao can all the sparring partners he wants to train for a fight against Mayweather, but none of them can mimic what he does – Certainly not Shawn Porter or Amir Khan. Those guys don’t like Mayweather.

 

[heyzel]

Everything’s Sweeter With Sugar; Why “Mayweather vs Mosley” would be a better fight f

By Michael Mason: For now, the saliva inducing showdown between Floyd and Manny has been packed back into its box, and placed back on boxing’s dusty shelf of fights that should have been…

But when one door closes, another opens. Instead of having the Mayweather vs Pacquiao bout, boxing fans may have been thrown another, yet slightly smaller bone. Golden Boy Promotions stating that now Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane could be in the mix for the near future now that the Berto bout has collapsed.

“Mayweather is interested and so, of course, is Shane. Now it’s a matter of

negotiating the right deal structure that makes everyone happy.”

Said Richard Schaeffer the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, clearly the fight would not be of the same magnitude as a meet with Pacquiao and that’s because Mayweather acts as an anchor, like a balloon tied to a rock, its much more exciting if you untie it and watch it fly… he will be like that no matter who he fights. Saying that, have you seen a boxer with a defence to match his? Marquez missing over 500 punches in his fight with Mayweather. Pristine counter punching and

an enigmatic style nobody has yet managed solve.

Unfortunately that’s not what captivates an audience, people find attack is the best form of defence (completely wrong in boxing) and that’s what gets viewers hearts racing.

Mayweather is an oxymoron, his own worst enemy… his superlative style against people in the ring, that at one point made him the best boxer on the planet; also takes on the role as an incredible anti-climactic style for the spectators.

What could be worse than having Manny and Floyd’s fight dubbed one of the biggest events in boxing history, only to find it was a relatively plain fight, one boxer chasing and the other running. An exciting boxer + a relatively dull boxer = an average fight.

However if Mayweather decides to take on Mosley, and Mosley conquers, well we have quite a different story altogether..

The only welterweight fighters I can see really in with a shout against Mayweather are now Manny and Shane (I hate to say it but I think cotto’s had too many wars) and if Shane can beat Floyd we have a much larger mouth watering prospect knocking on our doors. A super fight that could actually live up to its own hype, two hungry boxers creating a bout that could imprinted into our memories for years… for all the right reasons. Both fought Cotto, and both fights were heads and shoulders above many of Mayweather’s.

Who remembers Oscar v Floyd? Well, it speaks for itself. The fight that would save boxing, was a complete bore from start to finish… and that sometimes more than anything can be damaging to the sport, the best of the best in the ring.. and they end up having a similar effect on the fans as nitrous oxide would… inducing calm to the point you’re drowsy.

On the other hand, if Shane loses we are no worse off than before, Mayweather will be set to collide with Pacquiao later in the year, and atleast then Mosley would have had his well earned shot he’s been waiting for.

Just for now though we have to hope Pacquiao can beat Clottey (another very good fight) and for Mayweather and Mosley to agree on terms… because lets face it, at this time most boxers want their fights to be “Sugar-free”.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

some press pictures of Wlad Klitschko and Fast Eddie Chambers

 

[heyzel]

good lawd didn't know wlad was that tall Chambers looks like a kid next to wlad

 

[naner12]

Let's go Chambers!!

 

[heyzel]

How Would The Fans Take To A David Haye-Audley Harrison Title Clash? If Both Men Win

by James Slater - If Audley Harrison manages to defeat tough Polish fighter Albert Sosnowski in April and win the European heavyweight title, there could well be a challenge of WBA heavyweight ruler David Haye on the cards for him next - at least this is what the southpaw known as "A-Force" and his promoter believe.

If both men win in April (Haye faces John Ruiz, of course) 38-year-old Harrison will attempt to get "The Hayemaker" into the ring in what would be Haye's second title defence.. In no way is the fight even a strong possibility at this stage, let alone a done deal, but Harrison has called out Haye in the past and he is doing so again. And, as crazy as it may sound to some, if (and it's a pretty big if) Audley can grab the European belt from Sosnowski, his credentials as a "world" title challenger would go up somewhat, possibly even making a fight with Haye a legitimate match-up.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper's web site, Harrison promoter Eddie Hearn spoke about the possibility of a Harrison-Haye fight in August.

"It would sell out Wembley Stadium, I have no doubt about that," Hearn said of the prospective Haye-Harrison clash. "Audley is desperate for a shot at a world title and we have no qualms about facing David Haye. I met David at an event on Tuesday and told him that we're coming to get him. His eyes lit up. He told me to come talk to him and Adam Booth after our respective fights.

"If everything goes to plan, the fight could happen this year, maybe August-September time."

So, as much of a long shot this match-up may well still be at this point (after all, not only could Harrison lose to the strong-willed Pole, but Haye could conceivably be dethroned by the durable Ruiz) how would the fans take to the fight if it were made? Although Hearn may be correct when he says the fight would attract a big crowd in the U.K, worldwide fans would probably be less than thrilled with the fight.

What we'd all like to see, in a nutshell, is Haye, if he's victorious in April, take on one, or ideally both, of the two Klitschko brothers next. Should Haye opt to tackle Harrison instead, the critics who say he is dodging the two "Doctors" would have a field day. And even if Harrison did boost his ranking and his reputation with a win over Sosnowski, would he really qualify for a WBA title fight in the eyes of the masses? Haye may well chose to partake in a voluntary defence after he's taken care of mandatory challenger Ruiz (if he can take care of him, of course) and maybe the idea of an all-British showdown would appeal to him.

And stranger things have happened, haven't they? And what a huge turnaround Harrison's career will have taken if Audley does land the fight he craves! From being a fighter many said was finished, to being a challenger for a legit and recognisable belt; how would that be for a comeback! And as to how Harrison would shake things up of he were to beat Haye! Well, let's not get carried away.

Haye Vs. Harrison in front of a sell out crowd at Wembley in late summer? It might just happen!

 

[heyzel]

Amir Khan vs. Juan Manuel Marquez on May 15th?

By Jim Dower: According the latest boxing news gossip, WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan will be facing Juan Manuel Marquez on May 15th. Instead of fighting World Boxing Association light welterweight champion Marcos Maidana, Khan will steer around that fight and take a bout against the smaller, 36-year-old Marquez. Maidana will likely fight on the undercard instead of against Khan, in an effort to give the knockout artist Maidana more visibility before matching him against Khan later in 2010.

Golden Boy Promotions, Khan’s new promoters, want to match Khan up with a proven star for his debut fight. Maidana isn’t well known by boxing fans like Marquez. The choice of picking an older and smaller opponent to fight is something that Khan has already done once previously against then 35-year-old Marco Antonio Barrera, who Khan defeated by a 5th round technical decision in 2009.

 

[heyzel]

What happens if Clottey beats Pacquiao?

By Chris Williams: Not much has been discussed about what happens if Joshua Clottey beats World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao on March 13th. Maybe Clottey doesn’t have the greatest of chances to beat Pacquiao, that’s a given. But if Clottey does pull of a shocking win, especially a knockout victory, he’s going to send the Pacquiao express to a crashing stop. Can you imagine the news that would be generated if Clottey ends up beating Pacquiao?

This would make Clottey an immediate star and set up a huge money rematch for later in the year. I could see now less than two more fights between Clottey and Pacquiao if Clottey were able to beat him. It wouldn’t matter if Pacquiao beats Clottey in a rematch, there would be a lot of pressure on Pacquiao to prove that he can beat him twice to dispel that the win wasn’t a fluke.

You can forget about a fight between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. for the remainder of 2010 if Clottey beats Pacquiao. Who would want to see that fight if Pacquiao can’t beat a fighter like Clottey? It could still, I guess. After all, Pacquiao is fighting Clottey, who was just beaten by Miguel Cotto (a recent Pacquiao victim) in his last fight. This why, perhaps, some people don’t understand why Clottey was selected to fight Pacquiao in the first place with Joshua coming off of a loss to Cotto.

Pacquiao would probably still remain hugely popular with some fans regardless of how bad Clottey beats him. That’s just the way it is. Pacquiao would probably have to lose a ton of fights before some of his fans lose interest in him. However, I think a loss to Clottey would be a big blow for Pacquiao’s career. This isn’t a fight that is considered to be all that competitive going in, and if Pacquiao is beaten by someone that has failed in some of his biggest fights against Antonio Margarito and Cotto, it would cause some people to re-think how they see Pacquiao.

I could certainly see Pacquiao losing to Clottey. Let’s look at who Pacquiao has beaten recently. In the past year, Pacquiao has beaten Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton and Miguel Cotto. Of those three, I would say that Cotto was the best fighter at the time that Pacquiao fought him. However, many boxing fans feel that Cotto hasn’t been the same fighter since he was stopped by Antonio Margarito a year earlier in 2008.

There’s no denying that Cotto took a vicious beating in the Margarito fight, and didn’t look good at all in his subsequent bout against Clottey in 2009. Cotto looked like he was on the verge of quitting at one point in the fight. He didn’t quit, but he looked really shaky for a few moments there late in the fight.

Cotto didn’t look like the same fighter he once was before the Margarito loss. And Pacquiao’s win over De La Hoya came at the end of Oscar’s career when he was losing as often as he was winning in past few years leading up to the Pacquiao fight. De La Hoya had lost three out of his last six fights coming into his December 2008 fight with Pacquiao, and Oscar’s only wins during this time was against little Steve Forbes, Ricardo Mayorga and a questionable win over Felix Sturm.

You might as well have taken away the wins over Forbes and Sturm. Forbes was too small, and the Sturm fight looked to be another loss for De La Hoya. To make matters worse, De La Hoya had to drop a lot of weight to fight Pacquiao at 147, and Oscar looked weight drained for the fight.

I think Oscar would have lost even if the fight had taken place at 154, because he wasn’t the same fighter by this point, but the weight loss certainly didn’t help him much. Ricky Hatton just looked shot. I don’t believe his punch resistance had been lessened by his earlier knockout loss to Mayweather in 2007, like some people think.

But I do think that Hatton wasn’t the same fighter when he met Pacquiao because of his tendency to eat and drink too much between fights. Hatton looked like a blimp before he started training for his fight with Pacquiao and he had to have taken off at least 20 or more pounds of fat to get in fighting shape for his bout against Pacquiao.

I’m being conservative with my estimate. Hatton might well have been as much as 30 pounds overweight before he started training for the Pacquiao fight. The eating and drinking obviously didn’t help Hatton, and neither did him having to adjust to a new trainer during training camp. Hatton looked like he over-trained for the fight and wasn’t there mentally or physically.

But ideally, I would have liked to have seen Pacquiao face someone like Timothy Bradley if Pacquiao was interested in fighting a light welterweight. I don’t think Hatton was the same fighter for a variety of reasons by the time that Pacquiao fought him.

 

[heyzel]

Abraham vs Dirrell March 6 On SHOWTIME

NEW YORK (Jan. 29, 2010) —Tournament point leader “King” Arthur Abraham will kick off Group Stage 2 of the Super Six World Boxing Classic when he faces Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell on Saturday, March 6, 2010, at the Agua Caliente Casino, Resort, Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif., in greater Palm Springs, live on SHOWTIME® at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

The Armenian-born, German sports icon Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs) currently leads the Super Six World Boxing Classic point standings with three (3) by way of his final-round knockout victory over American Jermain Taylor on Oct. 17 in Berlin. Dirrell, the former middleweight bronze medalist (2004 Olympic Games) from Flint, Mich., dropped a close, disputed 12-round split decision to defending champion Carl Froch in his Group Stage 1 match for the World Boxing Council (WBC) World Championship the same night in Nottingham, England.

The event is being promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, and Sauerland Event. Tickets go on sale to the public tomorrow/Saturday, Jan. 30, at 10 a.m. and are available at The Show box office, online at www.HotWaterCasino.com/TheShow or by calling 1.800.585.3737. Prices are as follows: Floor $180; Loge $140; Mezzanine $85..

“I need two more victories to secure my place in the semifinals and I will start with Dirrell," said the 29-year-old Abraham, who is training in Zinnowitz (Baltic Sea). "He is a very skilled, yet very awkward fighter. It will be a difficult challenge but together with my coach Ulli Wegner we have developed an idea how to beat him."

Dirrell (18-1, 13 KOs) is eagerly awaiting the showdown. "The end of Camelot is near,” he said. “It's off with 'King Arthur's' head on March 6.”

Said Shaw, “Andre is going to pull the sword out of the stone and stab it straight into King Arthur's ego."

This will be Abraham´s second fight in the United States. He previously defeated Edison Miranda by fourth-round KO in June 2008. "I have said it before and I will say it again: It is my goal to become a star in America," Abraham stated. "That is where boxing legends are made, and I want to become a boxing legend. That is what the Super Six (World Boxing Classic) tournament is all about for me. The victory over Taylor was a good start, but I am not finished yet."

Abraham is counting on the support of the huge Armenian community in Los Angeles as the fight will be held just 90 miles east in the Palm Springs desert. “A lot of Armenians live in L.A. and I hope they all come and support me against Dirrell. I will put on a great show just like I did against Taylor," he said.

Abraham’s promoter Kalle Sauerland is thrilled to give the American boxing fans a first-hand look at who he believes is "the most explosive fighter in World Boxing". He said: "Abraham kicked off the Super Six World Boxing Classic in style. Once again, he showed his incredible punching power. He is undefeated in 31 fights with 25 KOs including 10 successful defenses of his middleweight championship.

“He can't wait to get his stateside campaign going in the U.S. and he will deliver another spectacular fight against Dirrell. Gary Shaw and his troops better watch out -- the Abrahammer is on his way to catch Dirrell. Here come another three points."

SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC SCOREBOARD
Record Fighter Points

1-0 Arthur Abraham 3

1-0 Carl Froch 2

1-0 Andre Ward 2

0-1 Andre Dirrell 0

0-1 Mikkel Kessler 0

 

[heyzel]

Holyfield vs Rossy; Oner Update; McDonnell-Arnould

By Per Ake Persson

All-time heavyweight great Evander Holyfield is now reportedly moving forward with a fight in Las Vegas against Derrick Rossy on April 24, which leaves his March 6 date open for a possible fight against Francois Botha - meanwhile Francois Botha vs. Joey Abell for February 27 in Kampala appears to be more likely as advance payments have been made, at least to Abell. However, the contract signed by "Minnesota Ice" reads he´s to fight for the WBFoundation title - against the WBFederation champ Francois Botha. The organizations are split but most of the people in the WBFederation are from the older Australia-based WBFoundation. The WBFederation title is by the way vacant.

The Hamburger Morgenblad lists today all 16 charges against Arena Box Promotion promoter Ahmet Oner. It´s indeed a long list revealing a very hot temper - but to label Oner a gangster as some media have done is to stretch things out. The "Tony Sopranos" iof the real world usually don´t just threaten - they take action as well. Bild writes that Oner gets off the hook with "a black eye" - if found guilty that is. With this the Arena show on March 27 in Hamburg is very much on as planned.

Anja Trabant is dead at the age of 38. A former Miss Berlin, she was married to former EBU welter champ Michel Trabant for some years and also managed him. The two later divorced and Ms. Trabant worked in different businesses but above all she seems to have been drinking - and Bild Zeitung writes that her death was due to her liver and kidneys failing after years of alcohol abuse and for the last six weeks she was in a coma. She was the mother of two, 10 and 14, but neither of the kids lived with her.

Rudel Obreja, these days the President of the Romanian Federation and in the 1984 Olympics one of the men Mark Breland defeated, has been suspended by AIBA for an eleven year ban on top of an existing 2-year ban and a 20,000 Swiss franc fine. As to why it appears that Obreja denounced the flagrant irregularities in the appointment of judges (he´s not the only one) in a tournament. The Romanian Federation also handles proboxing but that part isn´t affected in the case where AIBA threatens to exlude Romanian fighters from international tournaments as long as Obreja is President.

Jamie McDonnell, fresh off a big upset win over Ian Napa, is awarded with a shot at the vacant EBU bantamweight title against Jerome Arnould March 6 in France. This spot was originally Napa´s but as he lost Jamie gets the big chance.

EE-EU heavy champ Maxim Maslov defends the title against Bosnian Adnan Buharalija March 20 in Narva, Estonia. It´s voluntary defence by Maslov and it´s fair to say his promoters are very careful in choosing Buharalija as the opponent.

Czech jr. middleweight Lukas Konecny, promoted by SES in Germany, is now the mandatory challenger for EBU champ Ryan Rhodes.

While EBU heavyweight Albert Sosnowski is to make a voluntary defence against Audley Harrison April 9 the winner of that contest have Ukrainian Alexander Dimitrenko as mandatory challenger.

 

[heyzel]

Brian Viloria: "I Would Rather Die Doing What I Love"

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

If his statements over lunch with a selected media group is any indication then former two-time world light flyweight champion Brian Viloria will be back, aiming for another world title.

Although for the time being he plans to take a good rest accompanied by his charming girlfriend Erika Navarro, a nurse, before deciding on whether to continue fighting or not, Viloria said "I’d would rather die doing something I love rather than go on living doing something I don’t like."

However, Viloria said he didn’t want to make a hasty decision regarding his future because "its something I really need to think about when I get back to Los Angeles and sit down with my team (trainer Robert Garcia and manager Gary Gittelsohn) and see what the best move is. I love the sport. Its something I’ve been doing since I was five years old. My decision will come to me and I’ll know."

Viloria was sure that "physically I’ll heal and mentally I’m there with all the help and support given me to get through this and I can’t complain. That’s why we love to come back to the Philippines. That’s why I love the fans here."

Asked about the possibility of another fight later this year, Viloria said "we’ll take a look at what my health situation is because that comes first. When I do find out we’ll let everybody know and hopefully we’ll be still with boxing."

Viloria confessed that because he loves the sport of boxing so much "its kind of hard to step out in this fashion" although he said he and the newly crowned champion Carlos Tamara "were in a tough battle. I knew from the start that we were going to put our best foot forward and we both did. He came to fight and I came to fight. That’s the name of the sport. You put your best foot forward. Somebody has to lose. I’m kind of sad that it was me but I can’t get down because I gave it all I had."

He said "maybe I need to look back and see whether I need to step up in weight or look at other things and see if I can get my body in the right mode this time."

Girlfriend Erika Navarro said she had "full confidence that whatever Brian chooses in his career I’ll support him. I told him that Saturday night whatever you choose I’ll support you one hundred percent."

Viloria praised referee Bruce McTavish for stopping the fight with 1:45 remaining in the final round saying, "If he didn’t do it, it could have probably been a lot worse. Kudos to Bruce for stopping the fight. I could have kept fighting to my last breath because that’s how we are as fighters. It could have been wrong, until you die in the ring but for Bruce maybe he thought it was the right time to do it and he did. He’s a good quality referee and I give him a big thumbs up because God knows if I kept going to my last breath what would have happened."

In an interesting coincidence Viloria said when in hospital after he suddenly felt exhausted and drained in the ring and collapsed in his dressing room, they found he was "really low on potassium" which was exactly what doctors discovered when AJ "Bazooka" Banal who was way ahead in his fight against Rafael Concepcion two years ago suddenly wilted and was knocked out in the tenth round.

Viloria and Ms. Navarro leave on Saturday for Los Angeles to rest and recuperate and indicated that they may spend Valentine’s Day in Hawaii where his girlfriend is from although both Viloria’s and Erika’s parents are from Ilocos Sur.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

 

[MR. CLEEN]

20Sixx, I gotta tell ya somethin... That was pretty funny

 

[heyzel]

Winky Wright: “I see myself going back to 154

by Geoffrey Ciani - This past week’s edition of On the Ropes featured exclusive interviews with Winky Wright and Vivian Harris. Highlighting this episode was a nice conversation with former undisputed junior middleweight champion Ronald “Winky” Wright. Here are some excerpts from that interview:

Regarding the decision not to take a tune-up fight before facing Paul Williams:
“It definitely I’d say hurt me, but this is boxing. There’s a lot of fighters out there who are trying to protect their winning records and protect their undefeated record and all that kind of stuff, but me, I want to say I beat whoever they put in front of me. The problem that I had with Paul Williams was his height and with him throwing so many punches and me being off so long, my timing was off and everything was just going wrong that night, but I enjoyed the fight.”

On where he intends to campaign for the rest of his career:
“I see myself going back to 154. As you said, there are no real names at 160. You got (Kelly) Pavlik and (Felix) Sturm, and right now I can’t get a fight with either one of those guys. I’m not a big guy, anyway, I fight whoever wants to fight me and it’s just been that no guys my size really want to fight me..”



Regarding who he would most want to fight at 154:
“Right now I would have to say (Sergio) Martinez. He looked very good against Paul. I think he’s a very good slick boxer who’s smart. I think that would be a very good fight. Besides him, I really don’t know. Hopefully some of these welterweights will move up and the 154 pound weight division can get back to where it was when I ruled it.”

On getting his big break when Shane Mosley gave him the opportunity to fight him:
“I definitely applaud Shane for stepping up to the plate because a lot of fighters in his predicament wouldn’t have taken the fight. They would have stayed away to protect their records and fight an easier fighter. Shane felt that he was the best fighter out there in that weight class and he wanted to fight the best and he felt that I was that challenge for him. So I tip my hat off to him for that.”

Regarding his controversial draw with middleweight champion Jermain Taylor:
“First of all, the fight wasn’t as close as they said. Second of all, boxing is judged round by round. If you really watch that fight you will see that I won most of the rounds. Even if it is coming down to the last round and it’s close, okay, I didn’t do much but he didn’t do anything. See, they gave him the round not because of what he did. He absolutely did nothing in the twelfth round. At least I threw a few punches. I danced around and moved around. He threw a couple of jabs which missed clearly but he did nothing. Just because I didn’t do as much as I was doing you’re going to give him the round? Once again, that’s because that’s the favoritism of boxing. He was an HBO fighter, he was the guy that just dethroned Bernard Hopkins so he was the future.”

His thoughts on never getting the opportunity to fight Oscar De La Hoya:
“First of all, I think the fight didn’t happen because Oscar didn’t want to fight me. They felt my style, I was tough I was big, and he didn’t want to deal with it. He saw that I can box, I can slug, and he said ‘I don’t want to fight this guy’. They did whatever they had to do—they stayed away from me by any means necessary.”

Regarding his views on the proposed Olympic style drug testing in the failed negotiations for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather:
“If I’m a fighter, and I’m abiding by the rules of boxing and everything is okay then just because another person tells me to do something else, I’m not going to do it. I’m not going to take some extra tests just because you say to do it. The rules are we can’t do this, we can’t do that, I’m passing all the rules, I’m taking all the drug tests that they ask me, I’m doing all of that then it’s okay. But by your standard, you want me to take extra tests? Why should I do that because you said it? You’re not going to do anything I tell you to do extra. So I don’t feel that I should have done it. Floyd’s my man, but I just feel that should have still made that fight.”

His feelings on a potential showdown between Floyd Mayweather and Sugar Shane Mosley:
“Do I think Shane can beat him? Yes, I think Shane can beat him. Shane’s got the speed to deal with him, Shane’s got the power to deal with him, and Shane’s a smart fighter. A lot of times Floyd may fight a fighter that’s fast but can’t punch, or a fighter that can punch but is not fast. So Shane got all of that, but Floyd is a very talented and smart fighter, so just because you got the skills to beat him, you still got to get in there and execute.”

How he feels a Pacquiao versus Mayweather fight would go down if it happens sometime this year:
“I cannot bet against Floyd because he’s undefeated. We’ve never seen anyone beat him, but at the same time, I got beat the last three times against Pacquiao just because I thought he was fighting guys much bigger and they would be able to control him and he showed me something different every time, so I can’t bet against Pacquiao anymore. I’m going to be a true fan, this is going to be a pick’em fight for me. I was looking forward to seeing two great fighters come to war.”

***

Vivian Harris
We also had a good discussion with former WBA junior welterweight champion Vivian Harris. Here are some of the things Vivian had to say:

On the cancelation of his scheduled appearance on the undercard of Shane Mosley versus Andre Berto:
“Well, I was definitely excited about this weekend’s fight but the tragedy that happened in Haiti really burned a hole in the card, but my condolences and everything go out to the people in Haiti and to Berto.”

Regarding who he would most like to fight in the 140 pound weight class:
“My goal is to, after this fight, win this fight that I have coming up here and keep winning the fights until I get to Amir Khan because Amir Khan has my WBA belt and he doesn’t deserve that belt—that’s my belt.”

Regarding the injury he suffered due to a head butt in his last fight with Noe Bolanos:
“After the fight they took me to the doctor in Arizona and I did not have a concussion. Thank God I didn’t, God was with me that night.”

On what it was like winning the title from Diosbelys Hurtado:
“It was great. That’s the dream I had since I was a little kid, to become champion of the world. I have a dream to become undisputed at one time, so it was a great moment and it’s a moment that I will relive again when I become champion again.”

On what he considers to be the most difficult moment of his professional career:
“The most difficult moment inside the ring is when I lost my championship. The fight was a real bad fight. I got head butted, I got cut, I got hit when I was on the floor. That was the most difficult moment in my whole boxing career.”

Regarding the collapse of negotiations between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Junior as it pertained to steroid testing:
“We all know Floyd is a very protected fighter who does what’s best for him, and you can’t knock a man for that. I think if Pacquiao doesn’t have anything to hide—and I’m not accusing him of anything, I think he’s a great fighter who works hard and trains hard—but I think if you don’t have anything to hide then take the test. For the fans that want to see a great fight like that, it doesn’t many any sense to me.”

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather's Adviser: Floyd Coming For All Top Welters

By Mark Vester

Leonard Ellerbe, adviser to Floyd Mayweather Jr., says his fighter returned from retirement to clean house. Mayweather wants the big events and the big names at welterweight. He plans to start his quest with WBA champion Shane Mosley on May 1 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Mosley has signed the contract, which includes a rematch clause and calls for both fighters to take part in random drug tests.

“Floyd tried to fight the guy everyone thought was the best guy available and we couldn’t get that fight done, so we went to the next guy on the list,” Ellerbe said to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “As I’ve said many times, when Floyd decided to come back to boxing, he did it to be in major events. He’s going to face all of the top welterweights and one by one, knock them all off.”

Ellerbe told Iole the contracts were being drawn up and Mayweather will sign as soon as his contract is ready. A press conference to announce the fight is expected to take place in New York in the next days.

 

[heyzel]

A Look at The Heavyweight Division in 2010

By Joe Harrison

The heavyweight division has slightly changed over the last twelve months. Champions Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko remain at the top, but other faces were either promoted or demoted in the division’s rankings. Also, we witnessed the arrival of former light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek, who stopped veteran Andrew Golota in his first heavyweight win. Old faces returned such as Shannon Briggs and David Tua, although Briggs is currently suspended since he tested positive for a banned substance in his return bout against Marcus McGee on December 3rd. It was originally a 1st-round knockout win for Briggs, but was eventually changed to a no contest.

There is also a new WBA titleholder in former cruiserweight champion David Haye. Although Haye failed to step into the ring with both Klitschko brothers, he was able to face and defeat Nikolai Valuev on November 7th. While some fans were eager to see Valuev dethroned of heavyweight gold, the fashion of Haye’s victory left a sour taste for many spectators that evening. For most of the bout, Haye was on the run in hopes to avoid any possible attack from his giant opponent. In the end, neither man looked impressive; therefore, heavyweight fans need to hang back to see what developments take place in 2010.

While Eddie Chambers and Alexander Povetkin are still among the top challengers in the division, names like Samuel Peter, Juan Carlos Gomez, Ruslan Chagaev and Alexander Dimitrenko must climb their way back up. On the other hand, Cristobal Arreola and Tony Thompson are already back on the rise in hopes of landing another shot at heavyweight gold.

At the moment, some intriguing heavyweight match-ups have already been scheduled for the year’s first few months. In February, Tomasz Adamek will enter his second heavyweight bout against prospect Jason Estrada. In March, heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko defends his throne against Eddie Chambers. Plus, David Tua looks to face Friday Ahunanya on a March date in New Zealand.

As we look forward to these upcoming contests, let’s take a look at my current top ten names in the division.

1. Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) – With only 1 fight in 2009, “Dr. Steelhammer” was relatively inactive, scoring a stoppage over Ruslan Chagaev in June. On March 20th, he is expected to face his mandatory challenger Eddie Chambers. If victorious, Wladimir will likely face his other mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.

2. Vitali Klitschko (39-2, 37 KOs) – Unlike his brother, “Dr. Ironfist” was very active in 2009, facing three opponents and stopping two of them. He made it look easy against Juan Carlos Gomez, Cristobal Arreola and Kevin Johnson; however, he went the distance for only the second time in his professional career while facing Johnson. Was Johnson’s style of backing up and hiding simply too effective, or is Vitali’s age (38) beginning to catch up with him?

3. David Haye (23-1, 21 KOs) – Even if he failed to look impressive in his win against Nikolai Valuev, “Hayemaker” has earned the right of being called WBA Champion. Next, he will face his mandatory opponent in John Ruiz, on April 3.

4. Alexander Povetkin (18-0, 13 KOs) – Povetkin stayed busy with a lackluster decision-win over Jason Estrada last April, but followed up with a 3rd-round knockout over Leo Nolan in December. With trainer Teddy Atlas behind him, Povetkin looks to make 2010 his year.

5. Eddie Chambers (35-1, 18 KOs) – Keeping the loss against Alexander Povetkin in the past, “Fast” Eddie is back on the hunt. Last March, Chambers scored a majority decision victory over Samuel Peter, and then he defeated Alexander Dimitrenko last July. He will have plenty on his plate when he faces Wladimir Klitschko for the heavyweight title in March.

6. Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1, 17 KOs) – In his last bout, the “White Tyson” certainly did not live up to his name. Since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, Chagaev has been inactive. If he fights again in 2010, he could be a tough foe for any opponent. There was talk of him facing Kali Meehan in a WBA eliminator, but nothing is confirmed as of yet.

7. Nikolai Valuev (50-2, 34 KOs) – After losing his WBA title to David Haye, “The Russian Giant” may get another title shot in his very next bout. It appears that Valuev may be the next challenger for Vitali Klitschko and his WBC heavyweight title. If the fight is made, it can make for an interesting battle between two giants.

8. Cristobal Arreola (28-1, 25 KOs) – Although he failed to make a dent in Vitali Klitschko, “The Nightmare” got right back on track and scored a knockout over Brian Minto last month. Arreola now looks to continue his path back toward the championship picture. It appears he may face Tomasz Adamek in April.

9. Tony Thompson (33-2, 21 KOs) – Keeping his loss to Wladmir Klitschko in the past, “The Tiger” has two straight knockout victories over unheralded Adnan Serin and top prospect Chazz Witherspoon. It may not happen any time soon, but Thompson would like to face Cristobal Arreola in a battle between two top-ranked contenders.

10. Denis Boytsov (27-0, 22 KOs) – This unbeaten heavyweight continues his streak of domination. Since his big knockout win over Taras Bidenko last June, Boytsov has knockout wins over Jason Gavern and Kevin Montiy. If he can just find a way to face a bigger name, his path to heavyweight gold will shrink considerably.


Other Notable Mentions:

Alexander Dimitrenko (29-1, 19 KOs) – After losing to Eddie Chambers last July, “Sascha” has not stepped into the ring. He was scheduled to face Luan Krasniqi last November, but the bout was cancelled. What lies ahead for Dimitrenko now?

Samuel Peter (33-3, 26 KOs) – Coming off two consecutive losses, “The Nigerian Nightmare” is back to his winning ways. His last three bouts were all early knockouts over Marcus McGee, Ronald Bellamy and Gabe Brown. Next, he will face Maskaev-conqueror Nagy Aguilera in March.

John Ruiz (44-8-1, 30 KOs) – After losing to Nikolai Valuev for the second time in 2008, “The Quietman” scored a win over Adnan Serin last November. Apparently, the win was enough to earn Ruiz another shot at the WBA title. Can Ruiz halt the David Haye express when they finally meet?

Ray Austin (28-4-4, 18 KOs) – Since his loss to Wladimir Klitschko, “The Rainman” has four straight victories, including stoppages over Andrew Golota and DaVarryl Williamson. At the age of 39, Austin better stay busy if he hopes to land another title shot.

 

[heyzel]

Mayweather vs. Mosley is an All-American Bout

By T.K. Stewart

Like baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet - Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. and “Sugar” Shane Mosley are red, white and blue through and through.

Late Friday evening, it was announced that the effort to match Mayweather, originally hailing from Grand Rapids, Michigan with Mosley from Pomona, California has resulted in success.

The fight will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1. Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer worked feverishly to make the fight happen and he had intoned over the past week that an announcement of the bout could be imminent.

For fight fans, crestfallen when negotiations collapsed to match Manny Pacquiao against Mayweather, the prospect of seeing the two best American fighters on the planet face off against one another harkens back to a day when the United States dominated boxing and names such as Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns reigned atop the 147-pound division.

Certainly one of the issues plaguing the sport in this country is the lack of household American names. While Americans Bernard Hopkins, Paul Williams and Chad Dawson are all rated in the pound-for-pound top 10, they are virtually unknown to the general sports fan.

But Mayweather and Mosley are familiar to most. While neither fighter has the sort of rabid fan base that makes Manny Pacquiao a phenomenon, both men have respectable name recognition.

In 2007, Mayweather was one half of the highest selling boxing pay-per-view in history versus Oscar De La Hoya. He has been able to build upon that success with his participation on “Dancing with the Stars” and cameo appearances on World Wrestling Entertainment.

Mosley has been fighting professionally for 17 years, has won titles at 135, 147 and 154 pounds and he holds signature wins over Oscar De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas and Antonio Margarito. He is perhaps as well known by mainstream sports fans for his association with the BALCO steroids scandal as he is for his accomplishments in the ring.

Put the two men together and it is quite likely one of the best match-ups of two American fighters that the sport of boxing has seen in a decade. For the first time in years, the undefeated Mayweather will be in with an opponent that has a real and legitimate chance of beating him. That fact alone makes the fight worthwhile.

“I truly feel I am the best fighter out there,” Mosley told me in Las Vegas the day of the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto bout. “These guys don’t want to fight me for a reason and that’s obvious. None of these guys out there can knock me off the top of the mountain.”

There may be some truth in Mosley’s grandiose view. He is ranked in the top 5 on all of boxing’s pound-for-pound lists, but he has been forced to sit idle for the past year as no marquee fighter would accept his challenge. He was to have fought today against Andre Berto, but the fight was cancelled when Berto, who is of Haitian descent, decided to devote his efforts to aid struggling earthquake victims in that country.

“To be considered the pound-for-pound best you’ve got to fight everybody,” said Mosley. “That’s why back when I was the top of the pound-for-pound it was that way - because I fought everybody. To me, it didn’t matter. I moved up to junior middleweight and fought Winky Wright and Fernando Vargas. It didn’t matter to me because I went where the fight was at and that’s the way it should be today - but I don’t see that no more.”

For those that like to punch holes in Mayweather’s claims of superiority, the spot they perceive to be his weakest is his level of competition. While he has beaten established names over the years - many make the argument that none really stood a legitimate chance of seriously challenging him. It is a view that Mosley shares.

“These guys are ducking and dodging me,” said Mosley. “Mayweather, I think, is scared. By avoiding me like they have they are only tearing their own legacy down and bringing their own reputation down. For them, the big fight is right there in from of them and it’s with me. Mayweather tries to say I’m not a pay-per-view attraction but my fight against Antonio Margarito at the Staples Center was a record. There were more fans there for that fight than had ever been there for any sporting event before or since.”

If marketed properly, Mayweather vs. Mosley could be a very lucrative prizefight. The pay-per-view line-up for the first half of 2010 is not an overcrowded one and there is not an abundance of high-profile bouts. Action starved boxing fans will likely be in the mood to see an intriguing fight such as this that pits two well-established fighters in a match-up that will have significant ramifications for the winner and the loser.

For the first time since he faced Diego Corrales in 2001, there is a real and significant danger for Mayweather in a bout versus Mosley. After the talks for the Pacquiao fight imploded, Mayweather was left with very few options when it came to facing an opponent that could provide a bankable payday. Furthermore, Mosley was the only legitimate American name at 147-pounds. It is a fight that makes sense on a number of levels.

“Mayweather keeps saying that he’s only fighting for money now and that he only wants the big fights,” said Mosley. “Well, here I am.”

Aside from the myriad of intangibles that makes this fight an attractive one, the fact that it will result in crowning the best American fighter in the world is another reason it needs to happen. In this day and age of outsourcing, one thing that is somewhat difficult to outsource is live entertainment. Mayweather and Mosley should bring that as both guys have a strong belief they are the best in the world. The fact that both have a strong belief in their country will also make the fight one of pride.

For long lost and beleaguered American boxing fans, who have grown weary of trying to pronounce names like Pacquiao, Povetkin, Klitschko and Wlodarczyk - Mayweather vs. Mosley has come along at just the right time.

 

[heyzel]

Al Haymon made a deal for Berto to get paid to step aside"

dan rafael blogged the following:

• Not sure what to make of some phone calls I received Monday night: Informed sources said that even though Berto planned to withdraw from the fight because of his family situation, his adviser, Al Haymon, who also happens to handle Mayweather, made a deal for Berto to get paid (either by the Golden Boy/Mosley side or Mayweather or both) to step aside to allow for Mosley-Mayweather (a much bigger fight than Mosley-Berto) to be put together. One reason it sounded plausible is because, according to a source familiar with the Mosley-Berto contract, the deal had a rescheduling clause in it, in the event either guy had to delay the fight. That clause was not exercised. Perhaps a payment to Berto made that go away.

 

[heyzel]

Dmitry Pirog To Target Kelly Pavlik After Aaron Mitchell

By Maria Bezchastnaya

Russian middleweight prospect Dmitry Pirog (14-0, 11 KOs) has discussed the situation having to do with British fighter Matthew Macklin, and about his future meeting with Aaron Mitchell. The winner of this bout will become the official contender for the WBO title that is currently held by Kelly Pavlik. Pirog-Mitchell fight takes place on February 6 in Moscow.

“If Macklin wanted to fight me, we could have met on February 6 in Moscow”, - told Pirog to AllBoxing.ru. – “But Matthew is a “home” fighter who is used to local judges. We offered him several alternatives. Even the fight in England was possible, but only on the conditions of the strict observance of rules and the presence of a WBO supervisor. After we offered that his team broke up contact and didn’t react for several months. Finally we had to start looking for a new opponent."

"My fight with Aaron Mitchell will be an eliminator bout for the right to fight for the WBO belt. If I win in Moscow, why should I fight the European belt holder when I can go to America and meet Kelly Pavlik? That’s the answer. It’s Macklin who needs me, not vice-versa. If he wanted to fight me so much, where had he been earlier?” "

Dmitry says that Mitchell despite of his 40 years of age is not an easy opponent. That’s why it’s too early to think about the fight with Kelly Pavlik.

“Aaron Mitchell in fact is very dangerous”, - says Pirog. “He lost only one bout at the beginning of his career. Out of 27 victories he has 21 by knockout. It’s a good record. And don’t let his age deceive you. Right now there are no Pavliks and Macklins before me – only Mitchell. I must show a great fight and that’s the only thing I’m thinking about at the moment. Everything will be decided in the ring on the 6th of February”.