Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
Alright man I'm not gonna argue this anymore. If you don't see anything meaningful in #2 & #5 in the division facing each other and #4 & #7 facing each then there's really nothing left to be said. Is there better fights than can be made? Of course.
Andre Ward Vs. Lucien Bute for SMW supremacy would be fantastic but division need to clear themselves and this tournament has more than provided that. Ward & Dirrell weren't seen to be close to as good as everyone sees them now. The division was thought to be one of the European dominated divisions and up to this tournament they were right.
I don't care if Ward Vs. Dirrell is the worst fight I ever laid eyes on the fact that it's a fight that would highly benefit anyone trying to make sense of the division is more than enough reason for it to happen. These fights would have NEVER happened as soon as they all did if it wasn't for this tournament, you're delusional if you believe they would have.
Andre Ward Vs. Lucien Bute for SMW supremacy would be fantastic but division need to clear themselves and this tournament has more than provided that. Ward & Dirrell weren't seen to be close to as good as everyone sees them now. The division was thought to be one of the European dominated divisions and up to this tournament they were right.
I don't care if Ward Vs. Dirrell is the worst fight I ever laid eyes on the fact that it's a fight that would highly benefit anyone trying to make sense of the division is more than enough reason for it to happen. These fights would have NEVER happened as soon as they all did if it wasn't for this tournament, you're delusional if you believe they would have.
It's not an argument, its a matter of personal preference as I stated.
You think its a great tournament, I think its a ridiculous concept that made a turn for the worst. It's pretty much hooked onto a life line right now.
I am a believer in working your way up, getting your number 1 ranking, and the champ facing their mandatory. If two champs want to unify, then make the fight happen.
What does the winner of this tournament even get?
Hell if I know...
You think its a great tournament, I think its a ridiculous concept that made a turn for the worst. It's pretty much hooked onto a life line right now.
I am a believer in working your way up, getting your number 1 ranking, and the champ facing their mandatory. If two champs want to unify, then make the fight happen.
What does the winner of this tournament even get?
Hell if I know...
Bute looking to move up to 175
By Jason Kim: According to the latest boxing news gossip, IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KO’s) will be moving up to the light heavyweight division soon to campaign in that division instead of the super middleweight division. What this means is that Bute won’t be facing the winner of the Super Six tournament. Apparently, the tournament is taking too long to complete. Bute would like to fight WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, and that’s a fight that will likely be taking place in late 2011.
There’s a possibility that Bute could be facing cruiserweight Danny Green if the Australian can come down in weight to fight Bute. There’s also the hope that Joe Calzaghe might come out of retirement to face Bute, but I’ll believe that when I see it. That’s not the kind of fights that I could see Calzaghe making a comeback for because Bute is arguably more dangerous than Bernard Hopkins, and Calzaghe struggled badly to bet Hopkins before retiring.
Bute will be defending his IBF super middleweight title on October 15th against Jesse Brinkley at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. This isn’t a fight that too many boxing fans are looking forward to with anticipation. Indeed, practically no one is even talking about it.
Some boxing fans will see Bute moving up to the light heavyweight division as a sign that he’s afraid to take on the Super Six tournament winner. If someone like Andre Ward ends up winning the tournament, it could seem to some that Bute is running away from Ward. It seems odd that Bute would move up in weight rather than take on the Super Six tournament winner first before moving up in weight. By moving up without facing the tournament winner, Bute is probably making the smarter choice because he would likely lose to someone like Ward. That’s a bad match up for Bute
By Jason Kim: According to the latest boxing news gossip, IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KO’s) will be moving up to the light heavyweight division soon to campaign in that division instead of the super middleweight division. What this means is that Bute won’t be facing the winner of the Super Six tournament. Apparently, the tournament is taking too long to complete. Bute would like to fight WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal, and that’s a fight that will likely be taking place in late 2011.
There’s a possibility that Bute could be facing cruiserweight Danny Green if the Australian can come down in weight to fight Bute. There’s also the hope that Joe Calzaghe might come out of retirement to face Bute, but I’ll believe that when I see it. That’s not the kind of fights that I could see Calzaghe making a comeback for because Bute is arguably more dangerous than Bernard Hopkins, and Calzaghe struggled badly to bet Hopkins before retiring.
Bute will be defending his IBF super middleweight title on October 15th against Jesse Brinkley at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. This isn’t a fight that too many boxing fans are looking forward to with anticipation. Indeed, practically no one is even talking about it.
Some boxing fans will see Bute moving up to the light heavyweight division as a sign that he’s afraid to take on the Super Six tournament winner. If someone like Andre Ward ends up winning the tournament, it could seem to some that Bute is running away from Ward. It seems odd that Bute would move up in weight rather than take on the Super Six tournament winner first before moving up in weight. By moving up without facing the tournament winner, Bute is probably making the smarter choice because he would likely lose to someone like Ward. That’s a bad match up for Bute
Froch-Abraham to be for vacant WBC title, not Dirrell-Ward
By Scott Gilfoid: It looks as if the World Boxing Council (WBC) has done a flip flop and will be having Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KO’s) and Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KO’s) fighting for the vacant WBC super middleweight title on November 27th instead of Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO’s) and Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO’s). What is this? How in the heck can the WBC change their mind after they already said Dirrell and Ward fighting for the vacant WBC title? What a total waste. It’s the Dirrell-Ward fight that’s going to have the talent the eventual Super Six tournament winner.
If you don’t believe me, watch and see and you’ll find out how right I am. The Froch vs. Abraham fight is only going to be providing the fodder for the semifinal match, as far as I’m concerned. Dan Rafael of ESPN, broke this news, saying “Yet another reason the WBC is disgusting: 1st it says Ward-Dirrell is for vacant 168, Froch-Abe 4 #1. Now, suddenly, Froch-Abe for vacant.” This is so bad. How can you have Froch, who already lost the WBC title to Mikkel Kessler in his last fight in April, being given another immediate shot at the WBC title?
This is got me stewing. This isn’t right. It’s the Dirrell-Ward that the WBC title should be on the line. This is just going to make it much more pleasurable for me when Dirrell or Ward end up snatching the WBC title from one of these guys. Just look at Froch or Abraham as someone that is temporarily holding onto the WBC title and keeping it warm for Dirrell and Ward until they spank them and take the title. Dirrell already should have had the WBC title because he lost a controversial 12 round decision to Froch last year in Nottingham, England, where Froch lives. I thought that was the worst decision I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I had Dirrell winning eight rounds to three with one even. The even round was when the referee incredibly took a point away from Dirrell for holding. If that needless point was taken off, I had Dirrell winning nine rounds to three. That’s how impressive Dirrell looked in the fight.
By Scott Gilfoid: It looks as if the World Boxing Council (WBC) has done a flip flop and will be having Carl Froch (26-1, 20 KO’s) and Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KO’s) fighting for the vacant WBC super middleweight title on November 27th instead of Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO’s) and Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KO’s). What is this? How in the heck can the WBC change their mind after they already said Dirrell and Ward fighting for the vacant WBC title? What a total waste. It’s the Dirrell-Ward fight that’s going to have the talent the eventual Super Six tournament winner.
If you don’t believe me, watch and see and you’ll find out how right I am. The Froch vs. Abraham fight is only going to be providing the fodder for the semifinal match, as far as I’m concerned. Dan Rafael of ESPN, broke this news, saying “Yet another reason the WBC is disgusting: 1st it says Ward-Dirrell is for vacant 168, Froch-Abe 4 #1. Now, suddenly, Froch-Abe for vacant.” This is so bad. How can you have Froch, who already lost the WBC title to Mikkel Kessler in his last fight in April, being given another immediate shot at the WBC title?
This is got me stewing. This isn’t right. It’s the Dirrell-Ward that the WBC title should be on the line. This is just going to make it much more pleasurable for me when Dirrell or Ward end up snatching the WBC title from one of these guys. Just look at Froch or Abraham as someone that is temporarily holding onto the WBC title and keeping it warm for Dirrell and Ward until they spank them and take the title. Dirrell already should have had the WBC title because he lost a controversial 12 round decision to Froch last year in Nottingham, England, where Froch lives. I thought that was the worst decision I’ve ever seen in my entire life. I had Dirrell winning eight rounds to three with one even. The even round was when the referee incredibly took a point away from Dirrell for holding. If that needless point was taken off, I had Dirrell winning nine rounds to three. That’s how impressive Dirrell looked in the fight.
Mayhem Mayweather
By Thomas B: I was listening to Emmanuel Steward on On The Ropes Boxing and I found something interesting that he said. He said that with the type of skills that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has, if he threw more punches the whole division would be in trouble. Wouldn’t it be cool if Floyd came out and announced that he would retire indefinitely in December 2011 and during the year of 2011 he would began a ‘Line Em Up, I’ll Beat Em Tournament’ (Ignore the tournament Title) in which every 2 months he would fight a contender(similar to how George Foreman fought all those guys in one night).
All of these Guys who claim they will retire undefeated and a few others would get it. Such as Timothy Bradley, Sergio Martinez,Paul Williams, Manny of course, and the rest of the division. During so, Floyd could change his name to Mayhem Mayweather (Mayhem because his skills amalgamated with his speed, his new-found ability to throw millions of punches, and his newly revealed offensive fighting style which was displayed against Shane Mosley would all be gigantically devastating to his opponents)This would be the most phenomenal thing done in Boxing History. I feel what Emmanuel Steward was saying especially since Paul Williams has been running his mouth about what he can do to guys with defense. Yea he’s tall and strong, but with Floyd’s skill, this dude would be entirely embarrassed.
Paul spoke on the Mayweather Mosley fight saying that he didn’t like how Mosley and Floyd took all night to pick punches and that when he fights he likes to get in there and slang-n-bang(How naive, Paul…Really?..No, Seriously Bro?) If he tries that stuff, Floyd would vanish and a punch would materialize on Paul’s chin. He would be standing there looking around and realizing that he has to fight more strategically(This is the BIG dogs not that scrappy unintelligent fighting). All of that wild power punching, no matter HOW tall and strong he is, will only push Floyd and we all know how insecure Floyd is at times. If he gets caught and embarrassed Floyd Jr will indeed Sprout wings. Also, since Paul is a tough customer I’m very curious to see how long and perfectly poised Floyd’s wings would grow in that fight.
Not only would this tournament cement his legacy but this would be the most impressive thing done in boxing history. A skillful guy sprinting through the entire division in record breaking time. He could fight once every two months or more. Of course some people say, “Well it takes more than two months to promote and make a fight”. It would be so big because opposed to promoting one fight, he would take the rest of this year to promote the tournament itself and in between each fight he could do some additional promoting. Others say, “Well Floyd is not superman…he cant pull that off!”.Floyd’s gift is not his power or speed. His gift is his ability to adjust to any opponent, so he wouldn’t have to prepare for any opponent in particular. Some say, “No matter how good Floyd is he cant pull that off!”. Back in the old days, Sugar Ray Robinson would fight about 4 times a week. He would run 6 miles a day. Its apparent to us all that Floyd has more intangibles and skill than Sugar could ever have, but also Floyd runs eight miles a day at 6 minutes per mile.
I kind of think that if Floyd didn’t act so insecure, he wouldn’t have to take time to adjust like he normally does. He’s already out of their league so he could be a full fledged offensive fighter. He could just get in the ring and attack. Once the bell rings he would get right to the business like he did with Arturo Gatti. Floyd got in the ring and started flying all over the place. This would save boxing point, blank, period. Man just imagining this is giving me goosebumps.
Floyd has more skill than people realize. He would blow casual fans (as well as aficionados) out of the water while redefining what real boxing is. Boxing is about skill and being able to step in the ring with an index of intangibles mentally on deck, prepared to be used impulsively in any and every situation. Look at how he handled Shane Mosley. Shane only caught Floyd because of three reasons, 1=Floyd had his left hand dropped 2= Floyd didn’t faint the punches in the second round 3= Floyd was fighting nervously and hesitantly. I know that some people say that Shane changed momentum but in actuality Shane fought the same way throughout the entire fight. Floyd is the one who changed momentum in the 3rd rounds when he started moving, punching, fainting very very fast and in a severely aggressive manner (I watched the fight 58 times and have all copies of the fight..Sky sports version, HBO version etc.) When Shane had him in trouble Floyd didn’t merely have a nervous look in his face. He still had a mean worry-less look in his face because he already knew what to do and he knew he would still win. After Floyd got hit, in some instances he came forward like a warrior staggering with a mean grimace on his face. In others, he stood their waiting for Shane to keep attacking so he could catch his punches on his wrist, tying Shane up until he gained composure. Shane stopped throwing punches because he assumed that Floyd was going to keep coming forward. At the end of the round, as he started coming forward again, Roger and Floyd Sr. simultaneously said, “Steal him Floyd, Steal him..Hit that m*********er!!”(Steal=Punch) at that point Floyd had already gained composure and began to turn the tables.
I’m curious to see Floyd deal with the younger competition in the devision and how it would entirely blow boxing out of the water. Yes this is only an idea, but we could still hope and imagine. Mayhem Mayweather!
By Thomas B: I was listening to Emmanuel Steward on On The Ropes Boxing and I found something interesting that he said. He said that with the type of skills that Floyd Mayweather Jr. has, if he threw more punches the whole division would be in trouble. Wouldn’t it be cool if Floyd came out and announced that he would retire indefinitely in December 2011 and during the year of 2011 he would began a ‘Line Em Up, I’ll Beat Em Tournament’ (Ignore the tournament Title) in which every 2 months he would fight a contender(similar to how George Foreman fought all those guys in one night).
All of these Guys who claim they will retire undefeated and a few others would get it. Such as Timothy Bradley, Sergio Martinez,Paul Williams, Manny of course, and the rest of the division. During so, Floyd could change his name to Mayhem Mayweather (Mayhem because his skills amalgamated with his speed, his new-found ability to throw millions of punches, and his newly revealed offensive fighting style which was displayed against Shane Mosley would all be gigantically devastating to his opponents)This would be the most phenomenal thing done in Boxing History. I feel what Emmanuel Steward was saying especially since Paul Williams has been running his mouth about what he can do to guys with defense. Yea he’s tall and strong, but with Floyd’s skill, this dude would be entirely embarrassed.
Paul spoke on the Mayweather Mosley fight saying that he didn’t like how Mosley and Floyd took all night to pick punches and that when he fights he likes to get in there and slang-n-bang(How naive, Paul…Really?..No, Seriously Bro?) If he tries that stuff, Floyd would vanish and a punch would materialize on Paul’s chin. He would be standing there looking around and realizing that he has to fight more strategically(This is the BIG dogs not that scrappy unintelligent fighting). All of that wild power punching, no matter HOW tall and strong he is, will only push Floyd and we all know how insecure Floyd is at times. If he gets caught and embarrassed Floyd Jr will indeed Sprout wings. Also, since Paul is a tough customer I’m very curious to see how long and perfectly poised Floyd’s wings would grow in that fight.
Not only would this tournament cement his legacy but this would be the most impressive thing done in boxing history. A skillful guy sprinting through the entire division in record breaking time. He could fight once every two months or more. Of course some people say, “Well it takes more than two months to promote and make a fight”. It would be so big because opposed to promoting one fight, he would take the rest of this year to promote the tournament itself and in between each fight he could do some additional promoting. Others say, “Well Floyd is not superman…he cant pull that off!”.Floyd’s gift is not his power or speed. His gift is his ability to adjust to any opponent, so he wouldn’t have to prepare for any opponent in particular. Some say, “No matter how good Floyd is he cant pull that off!”. Back in the old days, Sugar Ray Robinson would fight about 4 times a week. He would run 6 miles a day. Its apparent to us all that Floyd has more intangibles and skill than Sugar could ever have, but also Floyd runs eight miles a day at 6 minutes per mile.
I kind of think that if Floyd didn’t act so insecure, he wouldn’t have to take time to adjust like he normally does. He’s already out of their league so he could be a full fledged offensive fighter. He could just get in the ring and attack. Once the bell rings he would get right to the business like he did with Arturo Gatti. Floyd got in the ring and started flying all over the place. This would save boxing point, blank, period. Man just imagining this is giving me goosebumps.
Floyd has more skill than people realize. He would blow casual fans (as well as aficionados) out of the water while redefining what real boxing is. Boxing is about skill and being able to step in the ring with an index of intangibles mentally on deck, prepared to be used impulsively in any and every situation. Look at how he handled Shane Mosley. Shane only caught Floyd because of three reasons, 1=Floyd had his left hand dropped 2= Floyd didn’t faint the punches in the second round 3= Floyd was fighting nervously and hesitantly. I know that some people say that Shane changed momentum but in actuality Shane fought the same way throughout the entire fight. Floyd is the one who changed momentum in the 3rd rounds when he started moving, punching, fainting very very fast and in a severely aggressive manner (I watched the fight 58 times and have all copies of the fight..Sky sports version, HBO version etc.) When Shane had him in trouble Floyd didn’t merely have a nervous look in his face. He still had a mean worry-less look in his face because he already knew what to do and he knew he would still win. After Floyd got hit, in some instances he came forward like a warrior staggering with a mean grimace on his face. In others, he stood their waiting for Shane to keep attacking so he could catch his punches on his wrist, tying Shane up until he gained composure. Shane stopped throwing punches because he assumed that Floyd was going to keep coming forward. At the end of the round, as he started coming forward again, Roger and Floyd Sr. simultaneously said, “Steal him Floyd, Steal him..Hit that m*********er!!”(Steal=Punch) at that point Floyd had already gained composure and began to turn the tables.
I’m curious to see Floyd deal with the younger competition in the devision and how it would entirely blow boxing out of the water. Yes this is only an idea, but we could still hope and imagine. Mayhem Mayweather!
Bert Sugar Talks Mayweather, Pacquiao-Margarito, More
By Chris Robinson
If you are ever looking for a figure in the sport of boxing who will give you a combination of straightforwardness, humor and insight, legendary boxing scribe Bert Sugar will surely satisfy your needs. Now residing in New York, Sugar is known well without the sport because of his knowledge of the boxing’s rich history and the quick wit and passion for which he still delivers his thoughts.
Despite 2010 being relatively modest in terms of meaningful fights and overall excitement for the first three quarters of the year, it should be noted that there are some tremendous matchups on the horizon that are worth a look. I reached out to Sugar to get his thoughts on what lies ahead for the rest of the year as well as his take on some storylines outside of the sport, such as the legal trouble facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and whether or not we will ever see him in the ring again.
Continue reading to see what Sugar had to say about Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao’s bout with Antonio Margarito, Bernard Hopkins’ challenge of Jean Pascal, Amir Khan’s chances towards stardom, a potential Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander clash and much more…
Last month’s Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora bout…
“He couldn’t fight and Mora wouldn’t fight. It was a two-fall proposition. One couldn’t get off and the other wouldn’t let him. It was just a dreadful fight and the decision was even worse. Mosley won but the judges must have fallen asleep. I know I did. Somebody in the row in front of me told me to stop snoring because I was keeping him awake.”
Mosley’s future…
“I don’t think he’s a pay per view fighter anymore. I do think that at 38, going on 39, he’s come to the end of his career. How he propels is, which he can, will have to be at a lower level.”
Floyd’s situation…
“He’s been called Floyd ‘Maynever’. He may never fight again. He didn’t seem to want to fight Pacquiao and he may never fight again depending on the charges. I cant’ comment on [his legal issues], I’m not a psychiatrist. But he does seem to have problems.”
Margarito’s chances against Pacquiao…
“I don’t know about him. He’s been out a year. He was knocked out by Mosley in his last fight. I don’t know if he has found a new life or a new relationship. I think he’s damaged merchandise both in the eyes of the boxing fans and maybe in his own eyes.”
Amir Khan’s pursuit of greatness…
“Khan seems to be talented when he doesn’t get hit. But when he got hit he got knocked out in half a minute I think. He’s a talented fighter. I think it’s a good test for Khan and if he doesn’t get hit he’s the goods. But he might be this generation’s version of Floyd Patterson. Tap him on the jaw and he goes tap tap on the canvas.”
Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander…
“It’s intriguing. Both of them have great potential. It’s up to one of them to show it in this fight. I don’t know who has an edge. It’s hard to say. I’ve seen them fight in alternating currencies. Between good and great, I just don’t know what I am going to see in this fight.”
Bernard Hopkins’ chances against Jean Pascal...
“Hopkins has surprised us more times than Freddy from Elm Street. He keeps popping up and surfacing in fights that nobody thought he would ever win. Kelly Pavlik, De La Hoya, and on and on. Who knows what Hopkins can do or when the sand will go to the bottom of his hour glass.”
Thoughts on Pascal’s victory over Chad Dawson…
“I was impressed but I was less than impressed with Chad Dawson. He didn’t seem to want to fight.”
Respecting Juan Manuel Marquez…
“Marquez always finds a way. He’s a warrior. He keeps coming back. Yes, he didn’t look good against Mayweather but he was giving up fifteen, sixteen pounds. With Marquez it’s almost as if he can resurface. He’s playing out his career extremely well. I have a book coming out called ‘The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists’ with Teddy Atlas, and he is rated one half of the greatest brother combination and he keeps that combination going.”
Andre Berto’s path…
“It might be interesting to note that he is on the undercard. If Berto had followed his career path he would be on the main event. I don’t know. Berto is extremely talented, I just don’t understand why he hasn’t gone further.”
End of the line for Rafael Marquez?
“I’m a big fan of his. What he did in his fights with Vazquez, those were thrilling fights. Each of the Marquez brothers gives you a thrilling fight each time out. I hesitate to say he has reached the end of the line, as witnessed by Bernard Hopkins coming back and back and back and back. And others who keep coming back. I just don’t know where the end of the line is anymore. I think they keep erasing the line in the sand and taking it further
By Chris Robinson
If you are ever looking for a figure in the sport of boxing who will give you a combination of straightforwardness, humor and insight, legendary boxing scribe Bert Sugar will surely satisfy your needs. Now residing in New York, Sugar is known well without the sport because of his knowledge of the boxing’s rich history and the quick wit and passion for which he still delivers his thoughts.
Despite 2010 being relatively modest in terms of meaningful fights and overall excitement for the first three quarters of the year, it should be noted that there are some tremendous matchups on the horizon that are worth a look. I reached out to Sugar to get his thoughts on what lies ahead for the rest of the year as well as his take on some storylines outside of the sport, such as the legal trouble facing Floyd Mayweather Jr. and whether or not we will ever see him in the ring again.
Continue reading to see what Sugar had to say about Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao’s bout with Antonio Margarito, Bernard Hopkins’ challenge of Jean Pascal, Amir Khan’s chances towards stardom, a potential Timothy Bradley-Devon Alexander clash and much more…
Last month’s Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora bout…
“He couldn’t fight and Mora wouldn’t fight. It was a two-fall proposition. One couldn’t get off and the other wouldn’t let him. It was just a dreadful fight and the decision was even worse. Mosley won but the judges must have fallen asleep. I know I did. Somebody in the row in front of me told me to stop snoring because I was keeping him awake.”
Mosley’s future…
“I don’t think he’s a pay per view fighter anymore. I do think that at 38, going on 39, he’s come to the end of his career. How he propels is, which he can, will have to be at a lower level.”
Floyd’s situation…
“He’s been called Floyd ‘Maynever’. He may never fight again. He didn’t seem to want to fight Pacquiao and he may never fight again depending on the charges. I cant’ comment on [his legal issues], I’m not a psychiatrist. But he does seem to have problems.”
Margarito’s chances against Pacquiao…
“I don’t know about him. He’s been out a year. He was knocked out by Mosley in his last fight. I don’t know if he has found a new life or a new relationship. I think he’s damaged merchandise both in the eyes of the boxing fans and maybe in his own eyes.”
Amir Khan’s pursuit of greatness…
“Khan seems to be talented when he doesn’t get hit. But when he got hit he got knocked out in half a minute I think. He’s a talented fighter. I think it’s a good test for Khan and if he doesn’t get hit he’s the goods. But he might be this generation’s version of Floyd Patterson. Tap him on the jaw and he goes tap tap on the canvas.”
Timothy Bradley vs. Devon Alexander…
“It’s intriguing. Both of them have great potential. It’s up to one of them to show it in this fight. I don’t know who has an edge. It’s hard to say. I’ve seen them fight in alternating currencies. Between good and great, I just don’t know what I am going to see in this fight.”
Bernard Hopkins’ chances against Jean Pascal...
“Hopkins has surprised us more times than Freddy from Elm Street. He keeps popping up and surfacing in fights that nobody thought he would ever win. Kelly Pavlik, De La Hoya, and on and on. Who knows what Hopkins can do or when the sand will go to the bottom of his hour glass.”
Thoughts on Pascal’s victory over Chad Dawson…
“I was impressed but I was less than impressed with Chad Dawson. He didn’t seem to want to fight.”
Respecting Juan Manuel Marquez…
“Marquez always finds a way. He’s a warrior. He keeps coming back. Yes, he didn’t look good against Mayweather but he was giving up fifteen, sixteen pounds. With Marquez it’s almost as if he can resurface. He’s playing out his career extremely well. I have a book coming out called ‘The Ultimate Book of Boxing Lists’ with Teddy Atlas, and he is rated one half of the greatest brother combination and he keeps that combination going.”
Andre Berto’s path…
“It might be interesting to note that he is on the undercard. If Berto had followed his career path he would be on the main event. I don’t know. Berto is extremely talented, I just don’t understand why he hasn’t gone further.”
End of the line for Rafael Marquez?
“I’m a big fan of his. What he did in his fights with Vazquez, those were thrilling fights. Each of the Marquez brothers gives you a thrilling fight each time out. I hesitate to say he has reached the end of the line, as witnessed by Bernard Hopkins coming back and back and back and back. And others who keep coming back. I just don’t know where the end of the line is anymore. I think they keep erasing the line in the sand and taking it further
What If HBO Turned Off The Faucet?
By Jake Donovan
From the moment they began pricing out the rest of the industry, cable giant HBO has been looked upon as the face of boxing.
They’ve reached a point where other networks don’t even try to outbid them, instead simply chasing after whatever fights in which little to no interest is expressed by HBO.
The result has been only one place to turn for the types of fights that are guaranteed to grab the headlines the next morning, while other networks offer – at best – mouthwatering matchups that appeal to the sport’s hardcore, but with little to no exposure beyond that.
That’s not to say that every fight on HBO is a big event. The network has caught more than its fair share of justified criticism for some terrible decision-making, be it blatant mismatches in the form of showcase bouts for its house fighters or grossly overpaying for certain fights just to ensure that no other network even threatens to express interest, never mind create a bidding war for a fighter’s services.
It’s also not to say that other networks aren’t capable of stepping up. Showtime has often received praise for its ability to make more with less, and on several occasions putting out a superior product to its premium cable rival.
HBO was involved in 2009’s Fight of the Year, the first time it could claim such honors in five years. Showtime played host to the best fight three times in a four-year stretch at one point, presenting the Fight of the Year in 2005 (Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I), 2007 (Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez II) and 2008 (Vazquez-Marquez III).
For the most part, though, the sport’s biggest events wind up on the self-proclaimed Network of Champions. It’s been more than a decade since Showtime has solely produced a pay-per-view event that landed among the year’s best sellers. Any other network that ventures into the PPV business does backflips any time it comes within sniffing distance of 100,000 buys, which isn’t very often at all.
But for all of the slack HBO catches for merely getting by on it having the deepest pockets in the sport, what would happen if one day they decided to turn off the faucet and left it up to everyone else to carry the torch?
In some ways, the industry has already begun to respond, though the early returns aren’t completely promising.
Networks like ESPN2, Telefutura, Telemundo and Fox Sports remain the sport’s equivalents of the minor leagues, only sporadically offering a major fight but for the most part remaining on the prospect or comeback level.
Rather than try to compete with HBO, those networks have actually scaled back on its boxing budgets. Telefutura in fact bowed out of the boxing business before returning earlier this year.
Showtime and the folks who run ESPN and its affiliates deserve credit for constantly trying to find ways to reinvent the wheel.
Showtime has made considerable investments in tournaments involving the super middleweight and now the bantamweight division, and also laid the foundation for the highly anticipated showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez.
ESPN has expanded its boxing coverage, using online coverage on ESPN3.com to air fights live from overseas on Friday and Saturday, while following up with tape-delayed coverage either later in the evening, or some time the next day.
It was thanks to this new format that stateside boxing fans are still able to view the Klitschko brothers in some medium after HBO decided to stop showcasing their bouts. Lineal heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko hasn’t appeared live on a stateside network since his vacant World title win over Ruslan Chagaev more than a year ago on ESPN.
His title defense earlier this year against top American challenger Eddie Chambers was limited to whatever pirated weblinks could be unearthed and shared by folks on this side of the Atlantic, while last month’s rematch with Samuel Peter was carried live on ESPN3.com and aired the next day on their flagship station.
Vitali Klitschko saw his October 2008 comeback fight aired via tape-delay on Showtime, and appeared twice on HBO in 2009, but has experienced limited exposure in 2010. His upcoming bout with Shannon Briggs (October 16) will air in the same format as was the case for younger brother last month.
It will be a busy weekend for ESPN3.com, as the website will also air live the October 15 super middleweight bout between Lucian Bute and Jesse Brinkley. Beyond that, a stretch of showing bouts nearly every weekend in September has since thinned out a bit.
It was a refreshing alternative to what had been the case in past seasons, where none of the ESPN affiliates would actively show boxing from late August until early January, marking the end and beginning of its Friday Night Fights seasons.
While the system is ideal for bouts outside of the United States, what has to be asked is what level of fights would be shown if HBO decided to just stop showing boxing for an undetermined period of time?
Sadly, we may very well have our answer.
The last fight card to appear on HBO was its September 11 doubleheader, featuring Brandon Rios’ disqualification win over Anthony Peterson and Yuriorkis Gamboa’s points win over Orlando Salido.
They don’t return until November 6, airing a doubleheader from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, marking the first of four straight weekends – and in fact five out of six weekends - in which the network or its PPV affiliate will be involved in boxing.
But while November and December are set, they left most of September and all of October on the table.
Sadly, nobody elected to step in and pick up the slack.
Showtime tried, with bouts lined up on three consecutive weekends in September and October. However, it’s September 18 card was postponed when Rafael Marquez injured himself and was forced to push back his bout with Juan Manuel Lopez.
September 25 and October 2 both were reserved for Super Six Group Stage Three bouts, but wound up going dark. No venue was ever secured for the contracted fight between Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell, and Carl Froch managed to raise a few eyebrows with news of a bad back pushing back plans for a highly anticipated showdown with Arthur Abraham.
Most of the rest of October is relatively quiet, save for a couple of cards on ESPN3.com next Friday and Saturday, a weekend that also includes an independent pay-per-view telecast headlined by undefeated rising star Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
With an eight-week gap in between fights and expressing zero interest in filling up its calendar space during that stretch, there was an open market for the rest of the networks to step up.
They haven’t.
Without HBO around, it stands to reason that high-priced talent like Paul Williams and Chad Dawson aren’t given multi-million dollar fights without ever establishing themselves as bankable fighters.
It goes without saying that no other network in its right mind would present Andre Berto and Lou DiBella a check for $1.25 million for a tune-up fight in the opening leg of a televised tripleheader.
But the real question is if a market exists for such fighters should HBO go dark for longer than just stretches at a time. Would the price tags go down, or would the other networks be willing to spend a little more (or just enough) without fear of being outbid?
The argument has always been that if you give any other network HBO’s budget, they not only compete but put out a far superior product. But if that is the case, then why does the rest of the industry continue to follow HBO’s lead, even when it takes a break and gives everyone else a chance to catch up.
By Jake Donovan
From the moment they began pricing out the rest of the industry, cable giant HBO has been looked upon as the face of boxing.
They’ve reached a point where other networks don’t even try to outbid them, instead simply chasing after whatever fights in which little to no interest is expressed by HBO.
The result has been only one place to turn for the types of fights that are guaranteed to grab the headlines the next morning, while other networks offer – at best – mouthwatering matchups that appeal to the sport’s hardcore, but with little to no exposure beyond that.
That’s not to say that every fight on HBO is a big event. The network has caught more than its fair share of justified criticism for some terrible decision-making, be it blatant mismatches in the form of showcase bouts for its house fighters or grossly overpaying for certain fights just to ensure that no other network even threatens to express interest, never mind create a bidding war for a fighter’s services.
It’s also not to say that other networks aren’t capable of stepping up. Showtime has often received praise for its ability to make more with less, and on several occasions putting out a superior product to its premium cable rival.
HBO was involved in 2009’s Fight of the Year, the first time it could claim such honors in five years. Showtime played host to the best fight three times in a four-year stretch at one point, presenting the Fight of the Year in 2005 (Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo I), 2007 (Israel Vazquez-Rafael Marquez II) and 2008 (Vazquez-Marquez III).
For the most part, though, the sport’s biggest events wind up on the self-proclaimed Network of Champions. It’s been more than a decade since Showtime has solely produced a pay-per-view event that landed among the year’s best sellers. Any other network that ventures into the PPV business does backflips any time it comes within sniffing distance of 100,000 buys, which isn’t very often at all.
But for all of the slack HBO catches for merely getting by on it having the deepest pockets in the sport, what would happen if one day they decided to turn off the faucet and left it up to everyone else to carry the torch?
In some ways, the industry has already begun to respond, though the early returns aren’t completely promising.
Networks like ESPN2, Telefutura, Telemundo and Fox Sports remain the sport’s equivalents of the minor leagues, only sporadically offering a major fight but for the most part remaining on the prospect or comeback level.
Rather than try to compete with HBO, those networks have actually scaled back on its boxing budgets. Telefutura in fact bowed out of the boxing business before returning earlier this year.
Showtime and the folks who run ESPN and its affiliates deserve credit for constantly trying to find ways to reinvent the wheel.
Showtime has made considerable investments in tournaments involving the super middleweight and now the bantamweight division, and also laid the foundation for the highly anticipated showdown between Juan Manuel Lopez and Rafael Marquez.
ESPN has expanded its boxing coverage, using online coverage on ESPN3.com to air fights live from overseas on Friday and Saturday, while following up with tape-delayed coverage either later in the evening, or some time the next day.
It was thanks to this new format that stateside boxing fans are still able to view the Klitschko brothers in some medium after HBO decided to stop showcasing their bouts. Lineal heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko hasn’t appeared live on a stateside network since his vacant World title win over Ruslan Chagaev more than a year ago on ESPN.
His title defense earlier this year against top American challenger Eddie Chambers was limited to whatever pirated weblinks could be unearthed and shared by folks on this side of the Atlantic, while last month’s rematch with Samuel Peter was carried live on ESPN3.com and aired the next day on their flagship station.
Vitali Klitschko saw his October 2008 comeback fight aired via tape-delay on Showtime, and appeared twice on HBO in 2009, but has experienced limited exposure in 2010. His upcoming bout with Shannon Briggs (October 16) will air in the same format as was the case for younger brother last month.
It will be a busy weekend for ESPN3.com, as the website will also air live the October 15 super middleweight bout between Lucian Bute and Jesse Brinkley. Beyond that, a stretch of showing bouts nearly every weekend in September has since thinned out a bit.
It was a refreshing alternative to what had been the case in past seasons, where none of the ESPN affiliates would actively show boxing from late August until early January, marking the end and beginning of its Friday Night Fights seasons.
While the system is ideal for bouts outside of the United States, what has to be asked is what level of fights would be shown if HBO decided to just stop showing boxing for an undetermined period of time?
Sadly, we may very well have our answer.
The last fight card to appear on HBO was its September 11 doubleheader, featuring Brandon Rios’ disqualification win over Anthony Peterson and Yuriorkis Gamboa’s points win over Orlando Salido.
They don’t return until November 6, airing a doubleheader from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, marking the first of four straight weekends – and in fact five out of six weekends - in which the network or its PPV affiliate will be involved in boxing.
But while November and December are set, they left most of September and all of October on the table.
Sadly, nobody elected to step in and pick up the slack.
Showtime tried, with bouts lined up on three consecutive weekends in September and October. However, it’s September 18 card was postponed when Rafael Marquez injured himself and was forced to push back his bout with Juan Manuel Lopez.
September 25 and October 2 both were reserved for Super Six Group Stage Three bouts, but wound up going dark. No venue was ever secured for the contracted fight between Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell, and Carl Froch managed to raise a few eyebrows with news of a bad back pushing back plans for a highly anticipated showdown with Arthur Abraham.
Most of the rest of October is relatively quiet, save for a couple of cards on ESPN3.com next Friday and Saturday, a weekend that also includes an independent pay-per-view telecast headlined by undefeated rising star Wilfredo Vazquez Jr.
With an eight-week gap in between fights and expressing zero interest in filling up its calendar space during that stretch, there was an open market for the rest of the networks to step up.
They haven’t.
Without HBO around, it stands to reason that high-priced talent like Paul Williams and Chad Dawson aren’t given multi-million dollar fights without ever establishing themselves as bankable fighters.
It goes without saying that no other network in its right mind would present Andre Berto and Lou DiBella a check for $1.25 million for a tune-up fight in the opening leg of a televised tripleheader.
But the real question is if a market exists for such fighters should HBO go dark for longer than just stretches at a time. Would the price tags go down, or would the other networks be willing to spend a little more (or just enough) without fear of being outbid?
The argument has always been that if you give any other network HBO’s budget, they not only compete but put out a far superior product. But if that is the case, then why does the rest of the industry continue to follow HBO’s lead, even when it takes a break and gives everyone else a chance to catch up.
wait a second... Lucen Bute is leaving 168 pounds....to fight danny green?! He turned down a fight with Pascal just weeks ago because he said he wasn't done with 168 pounds yet. Now he's going to leave the division as the Super Six winds down and fight Australia's biggest fraud of a fighter?? Terrible management. Further, at 175 pounds, Pascal is tied up for two more fights at least (Hopkins and mandatory rematch with Dawson) and Dawson is tied up for two more fights (Cloud & Pascal). So that means Bute will likely fight bums for another year at least.
probably best he leaves 168 because the winner of the super six (ward or dirrell) would whoop his ass anyway.
probably best he leaves 168 because the winner of the super six (ward or dirrell) would whoop his ass anyway.
That's why I don't believe half of the b.s. stories I read on here. They're speculation a lot of times and not credible. I stick to stuff that is actually signed now instead of getting excited about fights that might happen.
I also realized that Bute is impressive to watch but he hasn't beaten a top 168lb fighter yet. Andrade was top 10, Sakio Bika and William Joppy are his best wins. Time for him to fight a legit threat already
I also realized that Bute is impressive to watch but he hasn't beaten a top 168lb fighter yet. Andrade was top 10, Sakio Bika and William Joppy are his best wins. Time for him to fight a legit threat already
yeah I'm not going to take Bute seriously anymore as it seems like they want him to take the easiest path for a while. Passing up on the Pascal fight makes no sense, as that would have been the biggest fight in Montreal's history, quite possibly.
I was starting to like him too. A shame, he could have just fought Brinkley and around that same time a couple of the super six guys would be eliminated, so it would make sense for him to fight one or two of the losers of the super six, then fight the winner. Stupid.
I was starting to like him too. A shame, he could have just fought Brinkley and around that same time a couple of the super six guys would be eliminated, so it would make sense for him to fight one or two of the losers of the super six, then fight the winner. Stupid.
Khan Talks About a Potential Fight With Floyd Mayweather
By Lem Satterfield
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has his hands full on December 11 when he defends his title against Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Khan (23-1, 17 KOs) refuses to look beyond the upcoming fight with Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs), but it's no secret that Golden Boy Promotions wants to match him against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the fall of 2011.
Khan likes his chances in a Mayweather. If he wasn't confident of winning, he tells FanHouse that he probably wouldn't pursue the fight.
"Floyd Mayweather is a great fighter, as everyone knows. He's one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world, alongside Manny Pacquiao. I wake up in the morning and my ambition is to fight the best in the world. That's what drives me and gives me the motivation. If I couldn't beat him, I wouldn't want to fight him. That's the reason I want to fight him, it's a great challenging fight," Khan said.
By Lem Satterfield
WBA junior welterweight champion Amir Khan has his hands full on December 11 when he defends his title against Marcos Maidana at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Khan (23-1, 17 KOs) refuses to look beyond the upcoming fight with Maidana (29-1, 27 KOs), but it's no secret that Golden Boy Promotions wants to match him against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the fall of 2011.
Khan likes his chances in a Mayweather. If he wasn't confident of winning, he tells FanHouse that he probably wouldn't pursue the fight.
"Floyd Mayweather is a great fighter, as everyone knows. He's one of the best fighters pound for pound in the world, alongside Manny Pacquiao. I wake up in the morning and my ambition is to fight the best in the world. That's what drives me and gives me the motivation. If I couldn't beat him, I wouldn't want to fight him. That's the reason I want to fight him, it's a great challenging fight," Khan said.
right but Bute is to fight Brinkly next and around the same time the super six losers will be eliminated so it would make sense for, say, Bute to fight Carl Froch next. That would sell very well too and would lead up perfectly for a Bute vs Super Six Winner. I mean he's going to have to wait the same amount of time if not longer before he can get a crack at pascal or dawson at 175.