Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Which is the greatest boxing movie?

By Gerardo Granados: No it is not a joke, I mean it. Some can argue all they want, but movies have been and still are a major boxing promoter. At the beginning of the last century the radio was king, later on the Cinema Scope was invented, people gather at theaters to watch a fight that they could not have seen live; then the television arrived, cable, satellite television, and finally the internet. Now you can watch live, live broadcast or differed boxing bouts from every where.


Have you seen the Rocky I, II, III, IV, V or VI? Does the name Rocky Balboa, Ivan Drago, Apollo Creed or Mr. T is familiar to your childhood? Did you watch Robert DeNiro in Ragging Bull? Or Jon Voight in The Champ? Hillary Swank in Million Dollar Baby? Annapolis? Will Smith in Ali? Russell Crow in Cinderella Man? Denzel Washington in The Hurricane? James Cagney in City for Conquest? Humphrey Bogart in The Harder They Fall? If you haven’t seen any, then you should get it and enjoy.

I´ll be honest, no matter how many times I have watched Rocky each and single time that I´ve watched it I get the urge to go to the gym and train.

Actually the PPV is a great business for promoters and for TV as well, but it doesn’t help boxing that this PPV bouts are almost restricted to the hard core boxing fans willing to pay to watch the fight; even worst when the undercard fight aren’t as exciting as they should have been in theory. There are boxing fans and there are people who like to watch boxing fights but that aren’t as interested to follow a boxer career or to pay $50.00 to watch a fight. So, if you watch a great boxing movie for the first time while young or as a kid there are big chances that you will be interested in the sport years after.
In my personal opinion Rocky (I) is the greatest boxing movie of all, Million Dollar Baby would be second and on third I’ll pick Ragging Bull.

 

[heyzel]

Haye says he makes more money than the Klitschkos

By Sean McDaniel: WBA heavyweight champion David Haye (24-1, 22 KO’s didn’t sound too hopeful about a fight between him and the Klitschko brothers happening in 2011 in an interview with the BBC Sport. Haye, 30, wants the Klitschko brothers to give him a better deal that what was offered to him in the past in the other two failed negotiations, and he feels that he makes more money than the Klitschko brothers. This is what Haye had to say about a potential fight with the Klitschkos: “Next year. There’s only so many Dereck Chisoras and he [Wladimir Klitschko] can fight. There’s only so many Shannon Briggs his brother [Vitali] can fight. People are really bored. People are really sad seeing him beat up on those useless guys with no chance whatsoever. I’m the only fight out there that can give as good as he got, and they know that. They’re used to guys that just come and look for a pay check. I am not that type of guy. I generate more money than they do. They don’t know how to deal with that. So until they come and sit down at the negotiating table properly, the fight aint going to happen. But I have a feeling when they see how much money they generate from the Chisora and Shannon Briggs fights, they’ll realize the only place to come. All roads lead to the Hayemaker.”


Haye is probably right about the Klitschkos coming to him again with a new frame of mind for negotiations. They don’t have a lot more time before Haye retires. However, it’s a fight that would be so much better if Haye would face younger fighters before taking on the Klitschkos. Haye has been fighting guys that are near 40 since moving up to the heavyweight division in 2008, and the 39-year-old Audley Harrison, who Haye fights on November 13th, is more of the same. Haye needs to make believers out of boxing fans and he’s failed to do that by fighting exclusively fighters in their late 30s like 38-year-old Monte Barrett, 38-year-old John Ruiz and 36-year-old Nikolay Valuev.

Wladimir and Vitali have offered Haye a 50-50 deal, which would include the television revenue for the fight. However, Haye wants to keep that separate while the Klitschkos want that to be thrown in the pot.

 

[heyzel]

Jeff Lacy vs. Dhafir Smith on December 11th

By Jim Dower: Former International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy (25-3, 17 KO’s) will be making his first appearance in over a year on December 11th when he faces journeyman Dhafir Smith (23-19-7, 4 KO’s) in a 12 round bout for the vacant Universal Boxing Organization super middleweight title at the Jannus Landing, in Saint Petersburg, Florida. Lacy, 33, has lost two out of his last three fights and hasn’t looked good since before injuring his left rotator cuff in his fight with Vitaly Tsypko four years ago in December 2006. Lacy, who once had one of the best left hooks in all of boxing, can no longer throw his left hook with nearly the same power after having his shoulder operated on for the injury.


In his last fight, Lacy was thoroughly dominated by 41-year-old Roy Jones Jr. and stopped in the 10t round in August 2009. Jones basically toyed with Lacy during the fight and gleefully nailed Lacy with left hooks repeatedly in the later rounds until it was finally stopped after the 10th. Lacy won a controversial 10 round decision over Otis Griffin in April 2009, and before that Lacy was easily beaten in a lopsided 12 round decision against Jermain Taylor in November 2008.

Lacy was considered one of the best fighters in the super middleweight division until meeting up with Joe Calzaghe in March 2006. Lacy clearly wasn’t ready for that kind of fighter, as he was beaten by an embarrassing 12 round decision by Calzaghe and was never remotely competitive with the Welsh fighter. Smith has faced a number of good fighters during his nine-year pro career, losing to Andre Ward, Curtis Stevens, Adonis Stevenson, Kingsley Ikeke and Dawid Kostecki. Lacy should be able to beat Smith unless Lacy is even more shot than many boxing fans think he is.

 

[heyzel]

Bradley Furious, Shreds Khan: "Tell Amir He Ain't Sh*t!"

By Lem Satterfield

WBO junior welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is steaming mad over some of the recent comments that were made by Amir Khan, the WBA champion, during a recent interview on BoxingScene.com.

In the interview, Khan gave his thoughts on Bradley, WBC champion Devon Alexander and top contender Victor Ortiz. Bradley reached out to fire back at some of the comments that were made by the Olympic silver medal winner.

Bradley wasn't happy with Khan's comments about Marcos Maidana being the second-best 140-pounder in the world. The WBA champion also said Bradley was no longer viewed as a threat, but more so as a opponent he would "walk over" if they met in the ring.

Khan defends against Maidana on December 11, while Bradley meets Alexander on January 29.

"You hear all of that stuff that Amir Khan is talking about? Well you can tell Amir Khan that he ain't sh**," said Bradley. "This dude swore up and down that he's the best 140-pounder in the world, and, man, you know, he ain't sh**. He ain't sh** until he fights the best."

"Tell Khan that he may as well just keep running his mouth right now, because after Marcos Rene Maidana is going to break Amir Khan's jaw. And after Maidana breaks that jaw, he won't be able to talk any more."

"He's talking about after watching mine and Alexander's last two fights, that he will walk all over us and that we have a lot of weaknesses? Please. He believes that Maidana is a better fighter? That's crazy. That Maidana is a more skilled fighter? That's just stupid."

 

[heyzel]

Roy Jones Jr. Eyes Evander Holyfield For a 2011 Clash?

By Mark Vester

Former four division champion Roy Jones Jr. has been making the rounds during several promotional appearances in the UK. During some of those appearances, Jones has challenged WBA heavyweight champion David Haye to a fight in early 2011. Haye defends his title on November 13 in Manchester against Audley Harrison. Jones has lost his last two bouts, dropping a twelve round decision to Bernard Hopkins April, and a first round TKO defeat to IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green in 2009.

A rep for Haye's promotional company, Hayemaker Promotions, has already shot down the fight and said David is not interested. According to respected scribe Kevin Mitchell of The Guardian, Jones (54-7, 40KOs), turning 42-years-old in January, is likely to pursue a fight with former three time heavyweight champion Evander Holfyield (43-10, 28KOs), who recently turned 48.

If that's true, it wouldn't be the first that a Jones-Holyfield fight was explored. The fight was discussed a several years ago. The two egos made it a very difficult fight to make. Holfyield saw himself as the A-side of the fight, which Jones did not agree with. Feeling a sense of disrespect, Holyfield brushed off Jones' advances. This time around they might have a much easier time getting it done, when you considering their circumstances

 

[heyzel]

Groves vs Toney Canceled: James Obede Fails Medical

By Mark Vester

Undefeated super middleweight prospect George Groves received some very bad news on Thursday after challenger James Obede Toney failed his pre-fight medical. A cataract problem was discovered, which reportedly is causing a real issue with his vision. The fight was going to take place on Saturday at York Hall. Haymaker Promotions was forced to cancel the show after being unable to secure a last-minute replacement. They tried to get Prizefighter winner Patrick Mendy, but with only 48-hours to get ready he turned the offer down.

"I'm gutted. This was going to be a great show, this wasn't a deadpan night, there were some good fights on the undercard and I was really looking forward to it. We had put a lot of mileage into this, a lot of hard work and effort. I've been training hard for 10 weeks and this night had been a long time coming. It was sold out and was going to be fantastic. We looked around tried to get someone in, but it wasn't to be," Groves told Sky Sports.

Groves will now return on November 13 in Manchester in the co-feature slot to David Haye's defense of the WBA title against Audley Harrison.

 

[heyzel]

Alexander: "Amir Khan is Reebok's #1 Track Star

By Ryan Burton

Kevin Cunningham, the manager of IBF/WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander, reached out to BoxingScene.com to respond to comments made by WBA champion Amir Khan.

BoxingScene's Mark Vester ran a story in which Khan said among other things that Alexander has obvious weaknesses. "After watching the last fight of Alexander, there are a lot of weaknesses. I think Maidana has more than the other two [Bradley and Alexander]....skill, heart, everything."

Cunningham, who has never been shy to say what is on his mind had this to say in response to Khan's comments, "The reason that Devon and Tim are making this fight now is because punks like Khan wouldn't fight them."

Cunningham found it laughable that Khan called Maidana the number two junior welterweight in the world and also found it funny that all of a sudden now that Bradley and Alexander agreed to fight each other that Khan is talking smack about both fighters.

"Now that you have the number one junior welterweight in the world in Bradley fighting the number two junior welterweight in Alexander, Khan is talking sh*t."

Cunningham finished up by telling Boxingscene that he had a perfect sponsor for Amir Khan for his upcoming bout with Marcos Maidana.

"Reebok likes to sponsor runners and on December 11th Khan will be Reebok's number one track star


now that's some funny shit

 

[2-0-Sixx]

presser photos for ray austin vs odlanier solis, tavoris cloud, mayorga...

 

[heyzel]

Roach thinks Khan is catching up to Pacquiao in ability, not Mayweather

By Scott Gilfoid: You can’t say that Freddie Roach doesn’t support his fighters. I honestly don’t know what Roach sees in WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan, other than being popular in the UK because of the Silver Medal he won in the 2004 Olympics. Khan was spanked in the Gold Medal match by Cuban Mario Kindelan. I guess as a trainer, they sometimes because like parents and are unable to see the flaws of their fighters can’t give a realistic evaluation of how good or not so good they are. Well, Roach sees Khan, Floyd Mayweather Jr., as getting better to the point where he’ll soon be near or at Pacquiao’s level. Never mind the fact that many boxing fans see Mayweather as already better than Pacquiao.


In an article at the Dailymail.co.uk, Roach says “Manny [Pacquiao] is still ahead but he knows that Amir has come out on top at least once. Manny is still super quick and speed kills. But if anything, Amir is just a tiny bit faster now and his punching is getting more powerful by the day. Manny’s punching is more dense but the gap between them is narrowing. Floyd Mayweather? No, Amir Khan is the only fighter out there who is close to catching Manny.”

Maybe if it was a track meet, I could see Khan beating Pacquiao in a 100 meter sprint, but that’s about it. It’s too bad Roach is getting so heavily invested in Khan, because it could shatter him when he sees Khan get knocked cold by Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) on December 11th in their fight at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, in Las vegas, Nevada. I wouldn’t want to see Roach crying like an old grandmother at the sight of Khan knocked out on the canvas from one of Maidana’s big right hands.

That would be like a dream reduced in a puff of smoke from Maidana’s huge rights. Roach would be much better off if he at least had waited until Khan actually fought someone before he started spouting off at the mouth about his grand vision for him in the future. If I had a fighter that was knocked out in one round by Breidis Prescott, I would still be skeptical about the guy if all he had been matched against since then was five weak punchers like the ones that Khan has faced. Roach should know this, shouldn’t he? He’s supposed to be experienced at this, so why is he predicting greatness for a fighter that is still unproven? I can see Roach in a bad way on December 11th. He’ll be okay, because he’ll still have Pacquiao to train for another three fights or so. He’ll be okay, but his dreams for Khan will need some adjustment to fit in with reality.

 

[heyzel]

Paul Williams says he’s going to give Sergio Martinez a beating on November 20th

By Dan Ambrose: Former two-time World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Paul Williams (39-1, 27 KO’s) says he’s going to give WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KO’s) a beating on November 20th in their rematch at a 158 pound catchweight at the Boardwalk Hall, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Martinez and Williams fought last year in December in a fight in which both fighters shared first round knockdowns. Williams eventually won the fight by a 12 round majority decision as he was able to impress two of the judges with his superior work rate. The outcome was far from conclusive, however, as Martinez made Williams look silly for most of the fight with his slick boxing skills and his better power.


In the end, two of the judges gave Williams the decision based on liking his work rate and not minding that he was getting tagged hard in every round by Martinez. In a telephone conference call today, Williams said “We’ll put a real beating on him this time, if the knockout comes, it comes. I’m going to put that beating on him this time, you know. It’d be much brutal this time.” For Williams, who’s ranked #2 WBC in the middleweight division, to make it brutal like he’s talking about, he’s going to have to have a lot of help by Martinez.

Williams is a plodder and doesn’t move well around the ring. He can’t pursue quickly and doesn’t adjust to lateral movement with any kind of speed. Martinez, however, is fast on his feet and good at moving and jabbing and landing his pot shots. He’s not likely going to be standing there making it easy for Williams on November 20th.

That’s how Martinez ended up giving up rounds to Williams in their fight last year in December. Martinez did well when he was landing pot shots and using lateral moment. His problems resuled when he would make the mistake of standing and trading with Williams. That’s where Martinez took punishment. If he’s smart, he’ll avoid that trap and will stay on the move.

This bout will be fought at a 158 pound catchweight to accommodate Williams, who plans on moving back down to welterweight in hopes of fighting Manny Pacquiao next year. There is a possibility that Williams could wind up getting a fight with Pacquiao, but for that to happen, Williams will have to look really vulnerable in the process of beating Martinez. Pacquiao would be giving up seven inches in height and about a foot in reach to the 6’1″ Williams, and that might keep Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum from making that fight.

 

[heyzel]

Khan wants Mayweather by the end of next year

By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (29-1, 27 KO’s) has a sturdy chin, as he proved in his fight against knockout artist Victor Ortiz last year when he stopped the highly hyped Golden Boy Promotions star in the 6th round in a major upset in June 2009. WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (23-1, 17 KO’s) will be facing Maidana on December 11th, in a fight that will show whether Khan is really as good as his trainer Freddie Roach seems to think he is or if he’s just another one of Roach’s failed hopes.


Khan seems to think he’s not only going to beat Maidana but is going to totally dominate and stop him in the process of getting the win. Speaking to the Dailymail.co.uk, Khan says “At the moment, I would be just Floyd’s [Mayweather Jr.] opponent. First, I will deal with Maidana – I believe I’ll be the first to knock him out but I don’t care if it goes the distance and then unify the title by stopping the winner of Timothy Bradley and Devon Alexander. Do that and then, towards the end of next year, I can go in against Mayweather in my prime, in a 50-50 fight.”

Gosh, Khan sounds like he’s really got it all figured out. Given that this is Khan’s first real test since he was wiped out by Breidis Prescott in the 1st round in 2008, I think Khan really shouldn’t count his chicks before they’ve hatched. The guy may not get past Maidana, and for him to knock Maidana out, he’s going to have to take some major shots. Do I think Khan can take those shots? Nope. I don’t think Khan has the chin for it, and it doesn’t matter much how Roach thinks he’s the next Manny Pacquiao.

If Khan can’t take a hard shot without kissing the canvas, then he won’t be worthy of fights against Alexander, Bradley and Mayweather. Khan really needs to have a backup plan to use if he gets knocked out by Maidana. Instead of talking about Mayweather, Bradley and Alexander, Khan needs to focus on where he can go if he gets knocked out quickly by Maidana. My guess is Khan will go back to facing light punchers like the ones he’s fought since being knocked out by Prescott. He’ll take it easy for a year or two before stepping up and facing Alexander or Bradley.

I don’t think Khan will be ready then either. He needs major improvements on his defense. I can see Khan succeeding if he turns into exclusively a jab, run and hold type fighter, but if he focuses on throwing any power shots against good fighters like Maidana, Alexander, Bradley or Mayweather, Khan will get knocked out every time. He’s like a small version of Wladimir Klitschko without the size or the big time power to dominate in his division like Klitschko has done.

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik-Vera: Kelly interested in Bute, Martinez, Williams or Ward bouts if victorious

By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-2, 32 KO’s) is softly matched on November 13th against Bryan Vera (17-5, 11 KO’s) on November 13th at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. This is a fight in which Pavlik is looking to get back on the winning track after losing his two titles to Sergio Martinez and taking a real pounding on April 17th.


Pavlik says he had problems making the 160 pound limit for that fight, which had him weakened after rehydrating after the weigh-in. To make it easier for Pavlik, his fight with Vera will be at a 164 pound catchweight. Pavlik isn’t sure whether he’s going to be staying at middleweight or whether he’ll be moving up in weight to the super middleweight division.

Pavlik is interested in fighting the winner of the November 20th fight between Paul Williams and Sergio Martinez. This would give Pavlik an opportunity to win at least one of his titles back. Pavlik is also interested in facing IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute and WBA super middleweight title holder Andre Ward.

Both of those fights would figure to be a little harder than facing the Martinez-Williams winner, because Bute and Ward are a little more slick than Martinez and a lot more skilled than the stationary Williams.

Pavlik really needs to work on his movement or lack thereof before he faces guys like Martinez, Bute and Ward. Pavlik might be better off if he used the Vera fight to work on his mobility and boxing skills rather than just going out there and trying to drill Vera into the canvas as soon as possible.

That’s not something that will help Pavlik become a better fighter. He needs to work on his deficiencies before taking on fighters that can move. Pavlik was badly schooled by Bernard Hopkins in a 12 round decision loss in 2008.

Pavlik had supposedly fixed his problems from that fight, but he looked totally clueless in how to deal with movement and speed in his loss to Sergio Martinez in April. I can’t see Pavlik beating Martinez, Bute or Ward right now. I think Pavlik could beat Williams, but that’s about it.

 

[heyzel]

Pavlik vs Martyrosian For Pirog Shot; Segura vs Miranda

By Ernesto Castellanos, notifight.com

Cartagena de Indias, Colombia - More news and information coming out from the 23rd annual WBO convention. A Mexican war has begun to take shape between WBO flyweight champion Julio Cesar "Pingo" Miranda, and the challenger Giovanni Segura, both of Mexico.

Mexican promoter Hector Garcia asked the executive committee, and on behalf of his colleague Fernando Beltran, to make Segura the official challenger to "Pingo "Miranda. That request was approved.

There was some discussion about ordering an eliminator between number #1 ranked Gennady Martyrosian and #3 ranked Kelly Pavlik - and the winner would get a shot at WBO middleweight champion Dmitry Pirog.

WBO junior lightweight champion Ricky Burns was given 9 months for optional defenses before his mandatory is due.

At flyweight, Omar Narvaez of Argentina has time for an optional defense, but then must face the official challenger, Mexico's José Cabrera.

 

[heyzel]

Ward Talks Sakio Bika, Andre Dirrell Rumors

By Lem Satterfield

Unbeaten WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (22-0, 13 KOs) is getting ready to fight Australia's Sakio Bika (28-4-2, 19 KOs) on November 27 in Oakland The bout is being held outside of Showtime's Super Six Boxing Classic. In Bika's last fight in July, he was disqualified in the first round against Jean Paul Mendy of France. Bika hit and knocked Mendy out cold while the fighter was down in their IBF super middleweight eliminator bout.

Ward is very familiar with Bika and his aggressive style.

"I've been watching Sakio Bika for many years, and he's a tough guy and I think that he's a tough guy. I think that everybody in the boxing community knows what he's going to do. He's going to come full steam ahead and he's going to be throwing with both hands. So he's a tough guy, and he's very durable, but that doesn't take away from the fact that I want to put on a great performance on November 27," Ward said.

Bika is the replacement opponent for Ward's close friend Andre Dirrell, who withdrew from the Super Six tournament with neurological issues. There are widespread rumors, which began even before Dirrell's withdrawal, that the former Olympic buddies had never actually planned to fight each other, and Dirrell created an excuse to avoid the two of them fighting.

The fight was originally planned for September 25 and then postponed because the two sides could not agree on a venue. Showtime issued legal letters to both sides, advised them of their obligation to fight. The fight was later rescheduled to November 27, and Dirrell withdrew not long after the new date was announced.

"Basically, I think that things got blown out of proportion to be honest with you. I understand that the media and the fans and their frustration because nobody was talking and, you know, it didn't seem like things were going to come off in the first place," Ward said.

"I think in terms of the media and people taking our friendship and blowing out of proportion, that they were just taking it too far and making it seem like Andre Dirrell and I were not guys who did not want to do the fight.

"You know, it was like they were saying that we were working together and not trying to do the fight and taking a great fight off of the table from the public. You know, that wasn't at all the way that it was. That wasn't even close. I never tried to get out of the fight."

Ward had already been training to fight Dirrell. He didn't have a problem switching things up his mental focus and training strategy to prepare for the style of Bika. Because the opponent switch took place at the early stage of camp, Ward didn't experience any issues.

"After Andre Dirrell pulled out, it wasn't all that hard to shift my focus. It's the super middleweight division, and I've watched it for years. So, you know, it's tougher when your midway into camp and you get a call like that," Ward said.

"You know, you're in camp, physically training. But we were not in camp, so, it's not too hard or as hard as you might think. Because, you know, I have a pretty good scope on everybody in the division, so we have just set our sights on Sakio Bika, and that's what we're focused on."

 

[heyzel]

27,000 tickets sold for Pacquiao-Margarito bout

By Chris Williams: Well, it looks like Bob Arum’s lofty projections for the Manny Pacquiao vs. Antonio Margarito bout are going to fall below expectations in terms of ticket sales for the November 13th fight at the Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. According to promoter Frank Warren in his column at the thesun.co.uk, 27,000 tickets have been sold for the fight. So where’s the 55,000 that were supposed to be sold?


Given that there is only two weeks left to purchase tickets, I have my doubts that this fight will make even to the 50,000 numbers that the Pacquiao vs. Joshua Clottey did in March. Could it be that boxing fans are showing their displeasure at the Pacquiao vs. Margarito fight by not buying tickets in high numbers?

The stadium seats 100,000 spectators and if it’s not going to be selling even half of that, Arum would have been better off putting in a place like the MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada, where at least boxing fans would be able to do some gambling before and after the fight. But 27,000, those aren’t good numbers for this close to the fight.

If this is supposed to be doing better numbers than the Clottey fight, you’d think that more tickets would have been sold by now, don’t you? I wonder if this is boxing fans showing this displeasure at seeing Pacquiao fight two less than interesting opponents in a row. Fans didn’t want to see Pacquiao fight Clottey, but that’s what they got.

And now boxing fans will be stuck with Pacquiao fighting Margarito. Sure, Pacquiao’s loyal fans will watch him fight anyone, but you can’t say the same thing about casual boxing fans. And it’s the casual boxing fans that Arum really needs to be helping scoop up tickets for this fight to bring in the really big numbers.

Margarito isn’t a huge star in the United States. Actually, I wouldn’t even call him a star at all in America. He’s known but not in a good way now that the hand wrap scandal has been revealed even more to the casual boxing fans courtesy of HBO’s 24/7 Pacquiao/Margarito episode 1.

Boxing fans see this as another mismatch like the Clottey fight, and no matter how much we’ve heard Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach saying how bad Pacquiao looks in the training camp, fans still pretty much see this as a terrible mismatch.

Is the 27,000 tickets a reflection of that? Or is it because boxing fans are still turned off from having to watch Pacquiao beat up on Clottey last time in a mismatch, and don’t want to experience that feeling again, especially when they have to pay to watch it.

The fight goes for $55 on pay per view, which to me seems almost insane. You got a fight that few fans want to see aside from the loyal Pacquiao and Margarito fans, and then you’re going to have it go for a steep $55.

You got Margarito, a fighter with a ton of baggage and who is barely known by fans, and you’re still going to price the fight at $55? That doesn’t make sense to me. If anything, the fight should be heavily discounted into the $5 to $10 range to reflect all issues with this fight. It’s going to be a catchweight fight for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title, and yet Pacquiao has never fought at junior middleweight, is unranked in the division and Margarito has only fought once in the past six years in that division. Sounds great, eh

 

[heyzel]

HBO Won't Give Up: Target Mayweather-Pacquiao Clash

By Lem Satterfield

HBO Sports President, Ross Greenburg, acted as the intermediary during the second round of failed negotions for a bout between Manny Pacquiao and unbeaten Floyd Mayweather, the latter of whom has been beset, as of late, with legal troubles that not only threaten that potential mega fight, in particular, but, also, his career in general.

"We had two attempts at Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and clearly, that was a fight that, if it could have been made, would have hit mainstream America hard. I mean, we were right on the cusp of something really special happening, and I'll tell you that I'm not giving up on it," said Greenburg.

Greenburg will do his best to make the fight happen in 2011. Before HBO can get the wheels rolling, Pacquiao has to do his part in two weeks by beating Antonio Margarito, and Mayweather has to settle his outstanding legal troubles.

"I think that a lot of things need to fall into place for that fight to happen. First and foremost, Manny Pacquiao has to survive Nov. 13 against a tough, big man in Antonio Margarito," said Greenburg. "And then, Floyd Mayweather has to clean up his personal life and the issues and whatever is going on in Las Vegas and then get back to the business of boxing."

"Floyd Mayweather has to restore his image and his life a little bit. And then hopefully, in 2011, we can try that third bite at the apple. And then, maybe it will happen."

 

[heyzel]

WBC/WBO Set January Meeting To Start Working Pact

By Roberto Santos, notifight.com

In January 2011, Francisco "Paco" Valcarcel (WBO President) and Jose Sulaiman (WBC President) will meet in Mexico City in order to iron out any differences and to reach agreements for the benefit of the boxers grouped together in their respective organizations.

Valcarcel mentioned the meeting during the first day of work at the WBO's 23rd annual convention. He said it was a clear sign that any friction between the two organizations is now in the past.

"As Mr. Jose Sulaiman can not travel [to Colombia] because of a leg injury, early next year I will visit Mexico. I have maintained communication with Mauricio Sulaiman and we've discussed many issues," said Valcarcel

 

[heyzel]

Alfonso Gomez Rips Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: 'He's a P*ssy!

By Ryan Burton

Alfonso Gomez took time out of his training camp to talk to BoxingScene.com about his upcoming fight versus Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The fight takes place on December 4th in Anaheim, California and is being televised on pay per view. The former Contender Series contestant talks about the keys to victory and also explains why he agreed to move up two weight classes for this fight in this exclusive interview.

BoxingScene.com: How is training going for your upcoming fight with Julio Cesar Chavez?

Alfonso Gomez: Like always, things are running smoothly. I'm looking good in the gym and in the sparring sessions. Working on conditioning and strength. I'm real confident of the outcome on December 4th.

BoxingScene.com: What are the keys to the fight?

Alfonso Gomez: The key to the fight is to come in exceptional shape so I can throw for twelve rounds if need be.

BoxingScene.com: You are a natural welterweight and in one of our previous interviews on BoxingScene.com you talked about wanting to move down to fight Marcos Maidana at a catch weight. How do you feel about moving up in weight instead?

Alfonso Gomez: We are individual contractors and when a job comes up, we either take it or we don't. I called for this fight and after measuring the pros and cons I took it because I believe it's a very winnable fight that will launch me into a brighter light in boxing.

BoxingScene.com: Speaking of moving up why wasn't this fight set at 154 lbs.? You are fighting at a 157 lb. catch-weight so really this is a middleweight fight.

Alfonso Gomez: Chavez Jr is a p*ssy and wanted all the advantages. He didn't even want a catch-weight, but my manager Gary Gittelsohn was able to negotiate a better weight for me.

BoxingScene.com: You have wanted to fight Chavez for a long time. How does it feel to finally get the fight even if it isn't under ideal conditions?

Alfonso Gomez: I feel great. Ever since I was calling him out I knew this was going to be a fight that would draw a lot of people. Especially in the Latin market. It's a great opportunity and although it isn't under the ideal conditions I wanted to take it. It makes my victory much sweeter.

BoxingScene.com: Assuming you get the win like you plan who do you want next?

Alfonso Gomez: Even though I'll win this fight at middleweight I plan to come back down to welterweight. This is a fight I'm doing at middleweight because Chavez Jr didn't want to push himself to make it more even.

BoxingScene.com: Let's talk about your music for a minute. How is your music career going and do you plan on using one of your songs for your ring entrance?

Alfonso Gomez: I've been writing songs since I was a kid, but I took it more seriously in 2001 when my brothers and I decided to make a group called Hy3rid H3. It's a fusion of Hip Hop, Rock, and Pop in Spanish. We're making a lot of progress. We're currently competing in a nationally televised show like American Idol called "Tengo Talento Mucho Talento" and so far we've made it to the quarter finals and yes, I do plan to walk into the ring with Hy3rid music.

BoxingScene.com: Who do you think wins the Pacquiao-Margarito mega fight?

Alfonso Gomez: I believe it's a tough challenge for Pacquiao but I'll still root for him and believe he can beat Margarito.

BoxingScene.com. Thanks for your time Alfonso. Do you have a message for the fans?

 

[heyzel]

David Lemieux: Bring on Pavlik, Martinez, Williams, Bute

By Richard Cloutier, netboxe.com

A large crowd gathered at the Bell Centre for the first gala of the series - "Fast & Furious" - presented by the Groupe Yvon Michel. They were able to once again view the exemplary performance of the ultimate slugger, Quebec's young David Lemieux (24-0-0).

In the ring with the veteran Hector Camacho Jr. (52-4-1), Lemieux stayed faithful to his style. As soon as he saw his rival falter, he attacked immediately, securing the knockout with a powerful right hand at the very end of the first round. Lemieux was making the first defense of his WBC International belt. His next fight, being discussed for the Bell Centre, is scheduled for December 3. The name of his opponent is not yet known. However, promoter Yvon Michel will take advantage of the WBC's upcoming convention to get the organization to sanction a final eliminator involving Lemieux.

"What we want is an eliminator, perhaps in February or April. This will depend on the amount of time involved with the negotiations. When we get back from the convention, we will have a free period of 30 days to negotiate with the chosen opponent. If we managed to conclude an agreement quickly, we might stage it in December, but that would surprise me. "

David Lemieux is currently ranked third behind Paul Williams and WBC silver champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The defending world middleweight champion is Sergio Martinez. It should be noted that Lemieux's big win was shown live in Argentina, Turkey, South Africa, and on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3.

"With another KO in first round," said Yvon Michel. "I've come to the conclusion that anyone at 160 lbs or 168 lbs, who will get hit by David, will fall. You know, he could now fight with Kelly Pavlik, Sergio Martinez and Paul Williams. As for Lucian Bute, I will include him in there. Perhaps Lucian would be able to go twelve rounds without getting hit. Maybe yes, maybe no. But if he gets hit in the same manner as he got hit by [Jesse] Brinkley, [Lemieux] would do the same thing [win by knockout]."

As the main support, Antonin Decarie (24-1-0) has had its hands full with his replacement opponent, the American Irving Garcia (17-6-3). With a heavily bruised face, Décarie recorded a victory by majority decision at the end of 10 rounds.

"It was a challenging evening but still, the fight went very well," Décarie said when questioned in the late evening. "I won most of the rounds, but I got cut. I had so much blood in my eyes that I couldn't see anything and I got hit. I got hurt more than once. In the tenth round, I was not finished, but I felt the punches and they were solid."

"As for the reason, it's really a matter of styles because I'm in very good physical condition. I was preparing for an opponent who was small, feisty, and without any real jab. Here I faced a guy at the last minute with the same physique as me and a great jab. In the first round, I tried to fight him in the same way as I planned against Victor Lupo, by working around the jab and exploding from the outside. I tried to do that with him, but he had such a good jab that it hit me often. Then he caught me with solid blows."

"I do not know if I have a broken nose. The doctor gave me stitches and gave me anti-inflammatories. I'm going to pass tests tomorrow and we will try to pass a scan. Honestly, I'm happy because it was a good show for the people who were here. I remember that my favorite boxer when I was younger was Arturo Gatti. After his fights, I remember the marks that were all over his face, and now my face is as affected as his. So if I was able to give a good show, I am very happy for the people who were there. "

 

[heyzel]

Marco Antonio Barrera vs. Likar Ramos on December 11th

By Jim Dower: 36-year-old former three division world champion Marco Antonio Barrera (66-7, 43 KO’s) will be making his ring return on December 11th against little known 25-year-old Likar Ramos (23-3, 17 KO’s), according to Fightnews.com. The fight will be taking place in Mexico. Barrera won his last fight over Adailton De Jesus by a 10 round unanimous decision in June of this year in what looked like a sparring match for the most part. Before that, Barrera had been dominated by Amir Khan in a 5th round technical decision loss in March 2009.


It’s unclear why Barrera is still sticking around boxing, because he doesn’t look good enough to win a title at lightweight nor at super featherweight, featherweight or bantamweight. Barrera just looks like he’s lost too much of his once great skills to be the top fighters in boxing. However, he could be sticking around hoping to get another fight with Erik Morales and Juan Manuel Marquez. A third fight with Manny Pacquiao would seem out of the question at this point considering how badly Barrera was beaten in his two prior fights with the Filipino star.

Barrera doesn’t look fast enough or strong enough for the lightweight division. He would be better off moving back down to super featherweight or featherweight if he could somehow cut the weight off without draining himself to the point of weakness. However, it’s likely that Barrera can no longer take the weight off without losing too much in the process. Either way, he’d likely get dominated by the top super featherweights just as bad as he would against the best lightweights.

Ramos has faced mostly 2nd tier opposition during his five year pro career. Ramos tried to step it up in February of this year and was stopped in the 7th round by Jorge Solis.