Boxing News Thread

[2-0-Sixx]

couple notes form this week:

-According to Marquez trainer Nacho, Marquez is going to fight Katsidis next, not Amir Khan. Katsidis is Marquez' mandatory, so if Marquez wants to keep his belt he has to defend it.

-It seems likely Alexander-Bradley fight is going to happen possibly a deal this week, which leaves Amir Khan.... Marcos Maidina. Let's see if Amir takes it. Would be a nice four way tournament, winners fight. Although one could make a strong case Kotelnik should be in the mix.

-Miguel Cotto vs Julio Cesar Chavez jr. at 154 for Cotto's title is being discussed, Cotto's trainer Steward says make it happen.

-Andre Berto is rumored to be discussing a fight with another junior welterweight who has had numerous weight problems in the past and 2-0-Sixx constantly says is awesome lol.

-Sergiy Dzinziruk will fight on October 2nd against Luis Collazo

 

[Johnny Truelove]

Andre Berto: Destined to Follow the Fallen Fernando Vargas

With the negotiations of a Manny Pacquiao vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight in shambles; boxing fans will once again turn their attention to other possible contenders for the Pound 4 Pound best Manny Pacquiao. Although it seems like the opponent has been selected for a Nov 13th showdown (Antonio Margarito); one name continues to incite heated debate on every internet forum imaginable as a "could be" contender. The WBC Welterweight Champion Andre Berto. With 26 undefeated bouts under his belt most recently against sound competition like Carlos Quintana, Juan Urango, Luis Collazo and Steve Forbes; it makes a very good argument. However I believe Andre Berto is at a delicate cross road in his career and since his very public statement that calls out B.W.A.A. Fighter of the Decade Manny Pacquiao; it looks like he is destined to follow in the footsteps of former Light Middle Weight Champion Fernando Vargas.

Like Andre Berto, Fernando Vargas was a young talented fighter with enormous potential. In 1998 Fernando El Feroz Vargas beat IBF Light Middleweight Champion Yori Boy Campas into submission and made his presence in boxing known. Over the next year and a half Vargas proved to boxing fans he deserved his moniker and the respect of Light Middleweight fighters everywhere by defeating Howard Clarke, Former Champion Raul Marquez and Former Champion/defensive guru Ronald “Winky” Wright.

Unfortunately the new Millennium would prove to hold disastrous consequences for El Feroz. Eager to solidify his place in boxing history, Vargas would step into the squared circle 3 times in 2000. Once against hard hitting Ike “Bazooka” Quartey and “The Boss” Ross Thompson of Buffalo, New York before meeting the then undefeated Puerto Rican Champion Felix ”Tito” Trinidad in December of 2000. Fernando was 20-0 with 18 KO’s when he agreed to fight Tito Trinidad who was 38-0 with 31 wins coming by way of knock out. Legendary trainer Lou Duva believed Vargas had the skill, tenacity and strength to defeat 27 year old Trinidad but was he really ready to face him?

El Feroz was five days away from his 23 birthday when he entered the ring in what would become a fight for the ages titled Forces of Destruction. Vargas who had never been down in his career would feel the unforgiving canvas in the first 25 seconds of round one, coming from a stiff left hook by Trinidad. El Feroz would prove to be a formidable opponent by getting off the canvas 3 additional times and knocking Tito down once in round 4. The incredible bout was halted after a fifth knock down by Tito at 1:33 of the 12th round; referee Jay Nady would bring the stoppage and El Feroz would never be the same again. What would later prove to be a career debilitating loss, Fernando began to spiral. Fighting only 10 bouts after his loss to Trinidad; losing 3 of them to Future Hall of Fame Fighters “Sugar” Shane Mosley (twice) and Oscar De La Hoya. Then, in 2007 Fernando laced up his gloves for the last time against the brash warrior from Nicaragua Ricardo Mayorga; El Feroz would leave the ring defeated. In that same time frame Vargas tested positive for Anabolic Steroid use following the Oscar De La Hoya bout in 2002 that ended in a merciful stoppage by referee Joe Cortez in the 11th round.

Present day. Andre Berto is 26 years old and calls Winterhaven, Florida his home town. His parents are from Haiti and he is currently the reining WBC Welterweight Champion as well as a genuinely nice guy. Berto began his professional career after a lengthy stint in the amateurs that consisted of over 200 bouts. He topped off his impressive amateur resume with a Bronze medal, fighting for the Haitian team in the 2004 Summer Olympics. His professional experience is also demonstrative with 20 of his 26 undefeated bouts coming by KO. He clearly has made a name for himself and certainly deserves to fight in a “fight of the ages” so to speak. However will Pacquiao be his Trinidad? I believe so. His record speaks loudly and Berto himself is asking for this fight but it’s the belief of this writer……try not to get ahead of yourself. A plea goes out to all the boxing fanatics and Andre Berto; be patient your time will come. There will inevitably be a passing of torch and when that happens you need to be ready to receive it. That moment could pass you by, if you’re staring at the blurred stadium lights behind a shadow that looks eerily similar to the Filipino Idol Manny Pacquiao.

 

[heyzel]

Angulo Fires Back on Turning Down $750K For Martinez

By Ryan Burton

BoxingScene.com spoke to Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo about the recent buzz created by his allegedly turning down a fight with WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez. Angulo's manager Mike Criscio told BoxingScene's Lem Saterfield that he thought Angulo should have accepted the offer of $750,000 for the fight.

Angulo told BoxingScene - "There has been a lot of talk that I don't want to fight Martinez and that I am ducking him. That is absolutely not the truth. I think a fight between myself and Sergio would be a great fight. He is a great fighter and a champion. I felt that he beat Paul Williams when they foughtt year."

El Perro says that he just wants to be treated fairly. He said he didn't ask for more money than Martinez even though he heard that Martinez was going to make substantially more money for the proposed fight. When I told him that it had been reported that he asked for $1 million dollars Angulo had this to say - "Look they offered me $750,000 for the fight and I told them to give me a little more. I told them I would take the fight for $900,000. It was basically take it or leave it. They didn't negotiate or anything. I heard from my managers one time and that was it."

Angulo went further into the discussions by saying - "Here is the thing people need to know. Martinez not only was going to make a lot more than me, they were also going to give him a percentage of the gate. They were talking about doing this fight at Staples Center (Los Angeles) and they were going to give him a percentage of the gate."

"Let me ask you a question Ryan. What kind of people are going to come to a fight in Staples Center?" I told him that it would be mostly Mexican people. He responded by saying, "Exactly. I am bringing the fans and he is getting a percentage of the gate but not me? I was at the Paul Williams-Kermit Cintron fight here in the LA area and there was way less than 1000 people there. Williams versus Martinez in Atlantic City wasn't exactly full either. They really wanted to make a rematch between Williams and Martinez and when that didn't happen they asked me to fill in. I would love the fight but treat me fair."

I told Angulo that other websites have reported that when he fought Joachim Alcine as the co-feature to the Tim Bradley versus Luis Abregu fight there were only about 2000 fans in attendance. The Mexican replied:

"That was Bradley's fight. I wasn't even on the billboard. He was the main event. My name was hardly on any of the fight cards and the few posters that my name was on it was written very small. That arena in Palm Springs barely holds over 2000 people anyway. This would be a fight where I am the main event. Lets see how many fans come out."

The arena at Palm Springs holds about 2200 people and even though there were a few empty seats the box office did turn away some people because the fight was sold out. (I attended the fight and heard from some fans after the fight that they were unable to purchase tickets)

Angulo ended the conversation by saying that if he was presented with a fair offer that he would be more than happy to fight Martinez.

"I think a fight between Martinez and myself is a big fight. Not just a regular fight but a very big fight that the fans would want to see. All they have to do is make a fair offer and we can do this."

 

[heyzel]

Nonito Donaire Excited That Montiel is Eager To Fight

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

WBA super flyweight interim champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire is excited over WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Fernando Montiel’s statement that he’s got a big fight lined up in either November or December and that Donaire is the likely opponent.

Donaire told us “I am thrilled and happy about the news. It’s very good to hear.”

Boxingscene.com's Jhonny Gonzalez quoted Montiel’s statement regarding his refusal to participate in a Showtime Super Six bantamweight tournament which was also turned down by Donaire and former champion Hozumi Hasegawa from whom Montiel won the title with a stunning 4th round TKO.

"I was told that I'm going to fight in September, and then have a very important fight in November or December and that might come against Nonito Donaire," Montiel told Sal Rodriguez. The September opponent is likely to be former world champion Christian Mijares.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum earlier reiterated that Donaire would face Montiel but that there was an internal debate on whether to put the Donaire-Montiel showdown on the undercard of the planned November 13 battle for the vacant WBC light middleweight title against Antonio Margarito or the December 4 title fight between Miguel Cotto and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Montiel made his position clear when he said “I want the big fights and Nonito is with Top Rank, as am I, and there is a big possibility that fight will happen."

 

[heyzel]

HBO Tripleheader Could Head To Brooklyn's MCU Park?

By Rick Reeno

As reported earlier, BoxingScene.com was advised that an HBO televised triple-header is being explored for a tentative date of October 2. The card would feature three world champions, with WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto, WBO junior middleweight champion Sergei Dzinziruk and WBA super flyweight champion Celestin Caballero sharing a triple-bill.

BoxingScene has since learned, that Lou DiBella, who promotes Berto and Caballero, is having discussions to stage the possible tripleheader at MCU Park, which is located in Brooklyn, New York. The stadium is used by the Brooklyn Cyclones, who are the Class A affiliate of Major League Baseball's New York Mets.

The stadium is situated very close to Brighton Beach; home to one of the largest Eastern European communities in the country. Considering the possibility of two Ukraine-born fighters being booked for the card, the stadium location would be key. Dzinziruk would defend his title, and former 140-pound champion Andriy Kotelnik is one of the names being kicked around for Berto. The stadium can hold as many as 6500 fans.

When reached for comment, DiBella would neither confirm, or deny, his dicussions with officials at MCU Park. He issued a "no comment" to several questions related to the possible event.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Angulo pulled a straight up duck in my book. Martinez would box his ears off and he knows it. Even Angulo's own manager said Angulo should have taken the deal. $750,000 for a guy with 20 fights is a pretty damn deal, not many guys with 20 fights are making $1 million for a fight. I don't think HBO is going to be pleased about that.

I don't mind him passing on Martinez, cuz he doesn't HAVE to fight for Martinez 160 pound belts even if Martinez offered it at a catcweight of 155, but Angulo can no longer claim he'll fight "anyone, anytime."

THIS GOOD NEWS ABOUT THIS is it looks like Martinez vs Paul Williams rematch is back in talks and could be set for November of this year, which is a much, much better fight and something the fans want to see.

 

[T-Rip]

^^^ thats the best fight for both fighters at the moment

 

[REdRUM]

I always thought Mr. Capone was Mexican never knew he was Paki.

You ever seen when prince naseem flew in on a magic carpet? lmao his entrances were hysterical.

I think that's Mr. Capone-E.

Not Mr. Capone.

Capone-E.

E.

I guess there's a difference.

 

[Johnny Truelove]

yea kinda trippy for a guy from mexicali to turn down 700k lol i think if that fight happened angulo would get treated like pavlik, martinez is just that good of a boxer love his style.

 

[REdRUM]

I'd fight Martinez for half of that, and I guarantee I could sell out a 2,000 seat arena.


I'd just offer free beer and chips. That would run me about 7-8 grand, and I'd be good.

Dumbass promoters.

 

[bigface]

Angulo got beat up by Kermit Citron, Martinez will have a field day with him on the way to a late stoppage. Now Angulo is ducking any boxer at all cost. That story Andre Berto: Destined to Follow the Fallen Fernando Vargas. Explains what I'm talking about when I say a fighter is damaged goods. Vargas and David Reid were never the same after the beating Tito gave both of them.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

^^the problem with that is I seriously doubt Pacquiao (who is the Tito comparison in that article) is going to ever fight Berto. I don't know if Berto is ever going to fight anyone really that good for a long time.

Also, I've heard some interesting rumors of his next opponent, who many would laugh at but I see Berto getting out-boxed against.

 

[naner12]

Also, I've heard some interesting rumors of his next opponent, who many would laugh at but I see Berto getting out-boxed against.

...

And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

 

[bigface]

Berto is looking to fight Kotelnik.. Berto should just move down to 140lb and clean house.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Berto was a 154 pounder most of his life and only as a pro been making 147 for the past four years so really he should stay focused on 147 but whatever.

 

[bigface]

I know but he's not getting the big fights at 147lb. He should've fought Mosley when he had the chance. He needs to fight every four months cleaning house and big fights will come to him, but that goes for everybody in boxing other then Money and Pac-Man. They need to get activity and the big fight will come to you.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

HBO pays him good money. In fact, he's one of the more overpaid boxers in the game. Sure, he's not going to get Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, but there are good fights for him at 147 that HBO will pay him for. Collazo rematch anyone??

Plus, if he fought every four months like you said, he could make his own name for himself at 147 and the big fights will come to him. There's nothing like good old fashioned hard work and earning respect. Look at Timothy Bradley. Plus most of the 140 pound guys will inevitably move up to 147 anyways. He could be right there, holding belts, waiting for them.

 

[bigface]

See we're thinking the same way. All the other guys needs to put in work. You will get your money if you fight 5 -6 times a year. Remember when Tyson was fighting every month?? I would be fighting on ESPN and HBO just to get my name out there..

 

[2-0-Sixx]

yes. guys definitely need to put in more work these days. When you get to stardom, fighting 2-3 times a year is perfectly fine. But when you're young, still trying to make a name for yourself, you gotta be active & keep your name relevant. Too many guys are fighting like once a year and shit, even highly skilled champs like Chad Dawson are fighting 1-2 times a year and that's just not enough if you wan to build a fan-base and keep your name in peoples mouths.

 

[bigface]

If you fight a great action packed fight then win, lose, or draw the fans will want to see more. That's how Gatti (RIP) made a great name for himself and good money. I just want to see some good fights. I'm ready for the next round of the Showtime super-six some good fights coming our way.