Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Andre Ward, Jerson Ravelo Presser Quotes

What the fighters and promoters had to say at today’s press conference:

ANDRE WARD

"I want to be the best fighter in my era. I will achieve that with class and integrity. I want to change the negative image that boxing has."

"Both Ravelo and I represent ourselves differently from other fighters. We have respect for the sport of boxing and for each other."

"I watched Ravello at Gleason's gym. I know who he is and I respect him."

"A victory over Ravelo could put me up in the top 10 for the WBO super middleweight title."

"I am a Christian. God has a plan for my team. I'm not on my own timetable. I'm on his time table. There is a process. My time will come. Working hard for the NABO national title is part of the plan. The stakes are high."

JERSON RAVELO

"It is going to be about preparation for this fight. Ward is a good fighter, and so am I. He is fast, and so am I.”

“I have broken my right hand and had it injured for four years without truly healing. Now, it is completely healed and it feels good and ready to fight."

"I supported Ward in the Olympics. I made the Olympics in 2000, and it was a dream of mine to win. I achieved my goal, and now I will achieve my goal for a championship title on June 20."

"I'm not saying I am going to knock Ward out. I'm just going to win. I'm ready to go the full 12 rounds."

DAN GOOSSEN (Promoter Goossen Tutor)

"It's seldom when you can sit in front of everyone and tell them that along with the spectacular fight they will witness, they will take in a beautiful venue as the Cayman Islands."

"Sitting ringside outdoor in any arena located near the waves, the beach.... This is one of the most gorgeous prolific sites to have any event at."

"Ward overcame all the odds by fighting a bigger man in the Olympics... All the experts thought he wouldn't take the gold medal"

"Ward faces his toughest test on June 20 against Ravelo."

"If I was going to build a fighter, it would be Ward. He is a skilled fighter with natural talent and a class act."

"On June 20, Ward and Ravelo will do all of their trash talking with their fists."

CHARLES CLIFFORD (Cayman Islands Minister)

"It's an honor to host a class act event such as Ward vs. Ravelo".

"We (Cayman Islands) fully embrace this event and are proud of our partnership with Goossen Tutor Promotions and SHOWTIME. We are proud of the talent that will display their skills."

"The Truman Bodden Sports Complex has been refurbished. We have invested more than one million in the upgrades. We made substantial investments against the back drop of beautiful scenery."

"Our objective is to make this at the very least an annual event."

GORDON HALL (Executive Producer of ShoBox)

“On behalf of SHOWTIME, we’re extremely excited to be included in this fight card from Grand Cayman at the Truman Bodden Sports Complex. It will be the first televised boxing event in the history of the island.

“ShoBox: The New Generation is a series that showcases hopefully the youngest, brightest and most talented fighters that we can find. The one criterion is that they’re willing to be matched tough. I certainly think we have that with these two Olympians: Andre Ward and Jerson Ravelo.

“We’d like to have fighters appear, and hopefully reappear, on ShoBox and turn from prospects into contenders and go on to win world titles.

“Both Andre and Jerson have been on ShoBox before. It’s an extremely important fight at this point in their careers. Hopefully the winner will eventually go on and win a world title and become the 25th fighter that has fought on ShoBox and went on to win a world title.

“I care about the match-ups and making the best fights we possibly can, staying true to our definition of what ShoBox: The New Generation is all about.”

“Certainly this is a fight that epitomizes what ShoBox: The New Generation is all about and we’re extremely excited to be in Grand Gayman.”

“We’re looking forward to having the opportunity in the broadcast to showcase part of the island. We’ll certainly try to give the folks at home a little idea of what a beautiful spot this is.”

“At the end of the day, we look to have an extremely competitive fight and one that would continue to help the tradition of what we have tried to establish on ShoBox: matching young kids tough.”

STEVE FARHOOD (ShoBox Expert Analyst)

“I get excited about the match-ups on ShoBox, and this match-up between these two guys is as exciting for me as any we have this year.”

“There are a lot of contrasts: we have east coast, west coast; we have 2004 Olympics, 2000 Olympics; we have undefeated prospect/young contender in Andre, and Jerson is already a young veteran who wants what Andre has.”

“Gordon said we look to showcase young fighters in tough fights. I’d go a step further. I like to see young fighters matched tougher than they’ve ever been matched before. I think this is certainly the case with Andre Ward in this fight. Jerson Ravelo is young veteran and I think he’s definitely the toughest opponent of Andre’s young career.”

“I can’t wait to go. It’s just a little bit difficult to work when you are in a setting like Grand Cayman, but I’ll struggle through it.”

 

[heyzel]

Answers Raise More Questions At 175-Pounds

By Jake Donovan

It was supposed to be a month of progress in the light heavyweight division. A thinning of the herd before we proceed to bigger and better matchups in the fall, in hopes of finally declaring a definitive light heavyweight kingpin.

What we instead have is a bigger mess than with which we began. Yet somehow, we may have a clearer path to the top than we originally thought.

This weekend's matchup (linear champ Zsolt Erdei defending against Deandrey Abron) was and still is borderline irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. If anything, an upset will further muddy the already polluted waters. Assuming the odds hold up (as they have for every other light heavyweight match this month), Erdei retains his title and remains holed up in Germany and Hungary, continuing to leave the heavy lifting to the rest of the top players.

For the moment, that would be Joe Calzaghe, Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson. Waiting in the wings are Adrian Diaconu, Glen Johnson and the one player who didn't make a ring appearance, former titlist Roy Jones Jr.

From an odds perspective, each of the four major 175 lb. bouts this month produced the expected winners. How they got there, is a different story altogether.

The odds on Tarver-Clinton Woods were the closest of any fight this month, yet proved to be the most lopsided bout of the bunch. A big part of it was attributed to Tarver appearing in his best physical condition since his two fights with Glen Johnson. The other side of the equation was Woods, who basically went through the motions in 12 lackluster rounds in dropping a landslide decision in Tarver's hometown of Tampa, Florida. Not the stateside return envisioned by the Brit, whose last US sighting was his 6th round stoppage loss to Roy Jones in 2002.

That Tarver-Woods was far more one-sided than anticipated was the perfect complement to the evening's co-feature between Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson.

The 25-year old Dawson was a considerable favorite to handle Johnson, 14 years his senior. The results on paper support the claim, though the 12 preceding rounds did not. Johnson turned back the clock, remaining in Dawson's face throughout and finishing strong, to where many at ringside believed that an upset had occurred. The three judges would spoil the party, turning in surprisingly lopsided – and identical scorecards of 116-112 for Dawson, who remains undefeated but loses a little bit of the new penny shine he carried going in.

The agreement going in was that the winners of Dawson-Johnson and Adrian Diaconu-Chris Henry would meet later in the year. That would lead to Dawson facing Diaconu, who outlasted Henry in a battle of undefeated light heavyweight contenders last weekend.

The bout was postponed after Diaconu suffered an untimely injury and was forced to withdraw. Now there's a chance the fight might not happen at all. Given their respective performances even in victory, chances are few will shed a tear over the news.

Dawson's camp has instead targeted an alphabet unification match with Tarver, the same fighter whom they've pursued for the past year. Whereas many fans and boxing insiders once believed such a fight to be a passing of the torch, the matchup now appears to be more of a pick-'em given their most recent performances.

Many had considered Dawson-Diaconu along the lines of a pick-'em prior to their bout that never was, last year. Those opinions have changed in the minds of many after watching Diaconu struggle mightily with previously unbeaten but untested Chris Henry in his birth land of Romania last weekend.

That the last three rounds were lost in the live feed due to a glitch on promoter Don King's website turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Canadian-based Romanian. Diaconu impressed early, and knew, thanks to open scoring, that he was up by a considerable margin after four and eight rounds. It was the final rounds that proved to be problematic for Diaconu, who was running on empty while Henry was picking up steam. It was too little too late for the American, though; the strong finish merely closed the gap on the scorecards, which had Diaconu up 115-113 (2x) and 116-113 by fights end.

Even with a possible knockdown that was never called in the final round, Henry still would've lost a decision, just by a closer margin. Nevertheless, it was a valuable learning experience for the Texas native, who fought outside of the US for the first time in his career in addition to taking on what was a quantum leap in level of opposition. If nothing else, he proved that with more seasoning, a lengthy stay atop the division's Top 10 is in his future.

What might not be in Diaconu's future is a date with Dawson, but instead the man Dawson barely edged out – Glen Johnson, who traveled to Romania to witness the bout first hand. Should Dawson proceed with the Tarver fight, he will most likely be stripped of his alphabet title, advancing Diaconu from interim status to regular champ, and Johnson possibly getting the one last title shot many felt he's earned, even if not in a Dawson rematch.

Should Dawson-Tarver and Diaconu-Johnson materialize, Joe Calzaghe is now free to plan his second light heavyweight against the opponent of his liking. Fitting, considering the fighter he defeated, Bernard Hopkins, never fought a natural light heavyweight since beating Tarver in his own divisional debut two years ago.

That said, Calzaghe isn't exactly riding a tidal wave of momentum. His razor-thin victory over Hopkins was as close – and in the eyes of some, controversial – as it was unwatchable. The latter is par for the course for Hopkins, who has learned how to slow things to a crawl in the twilight of his legendary career.

Controversy has also become an integral part of the equation in Hopkins' last few fights. Both losses to Jermain Taylor could've easily went his way, much as many at ringside this weekend believed the wrong man's hand was raised in the end. Calzaghe overcame a 1st round knockdown and a rough first half to seize control of the bout over the back six to escape with a split decision in his stateside and light heavyweight debut.

Hopkins vowed prior to the bout that it would be the very last big fight of his career, if not final bout altogether. Of course, he once promised that he wouldn't fight past his 41st birthday. Two years later, the old man is still rocking, even if it requires more tricks and showmanship than it used to.

An acting job was suspected of Hopkins, who converted to Flopkins after collapsing in pain after a low blow that didn't appear to be damaging, or even particularly low for that matter. What it did was buy him time, which enabled him to catch his breath and seemingly outfight Calzaghe over the course of the round. The only problem was, many believed it was the first round in a quite a few that Hopkins deserved a score of greater than 9.

Hopkins, of course, disagreed, much as he didn't co-sign on the final verdict. "Look at my face" was the case he plead as he pitched a bitch over a fight that could've went either way – and did.

The good news for Hopkins is, opportunity still awaits should he decide to fight on.

The hottest divisional rumor for the moment involves a potential Calzaghe-Roy Jones Jr matchup in November. Promoter Frank Warren stated that if the fight were to happen, it would land in the states, most preferably Vegas, since the intended November date would clash with a rugby game in Wales.

However, he also insisted that Calzaghe would take at least a month-long break from the sport before mulling his next move. He could wind up overplaying his hand; while a Calzaghe-Jones matchup has been well over a decade in the making, it's another blast from the past that gleams in the eyes of the HBO brass.

HBO Senior Vice President Kery Davis recently went on record expressing an interest in Jones-Hopkins II, to where he'd rather air that bout than a possible Hopkins-Felix Trinidad rematch, though believing both would sell very well, something Calzaghe bouts have not done for HBO since signing with the network in late 2006. His November 2007 superfight with Mikkel Kessler was the network's lowest rated World Championship Boxing telecast of the year, not the type of news you want to hear for a bout that came with a $5 million price tag.

Returns have yet to come in for the Calzaghe-Hopkins bout, though a $6 million fight not landing on PPV tells you all you need to know about the network's hesitance in believing the fight would sell. It certainly didn't happen at the box office, where speculation ran rampant that a considerable portion of the announced crowd of 14,000 received tickets without having to pay full price, or even pay at all.

The moral being that, despite still remaining undefeated and in the eyes of some the division's best fighter (though not true linear champion), HBO still calls the shots as far as Joe Calzaghe is concerned, not the other way around.

For the moment, nobody's calling the shots at light heavyweight, nor is a single fighter any closer to doing so than when the month began

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Gotta love Mayweather Sr.!!!

PC: What did you think of the Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe fight?

Mayweather Sr: I'm going to be honest man, the fight to me was very very boring fight. Even though Calzaghe won the fight I didn't see the punch count that they was talking about. I don't see all of that man. What punch count are you talking about man? He aint even do shit; he's the worst fighter I ever saw in my life. I wouldn't pay 5$ to see him.

I'm serious man this guy cannot fight. He's worse then a novice fighter for real. He's like a junior fighter; he fights like a beginner man. He can't punch at all. That fight didn't look good at all. Whoever rates him as one of the greatest fighters of today's era, man trust me.......I don't give a damn how many fights he wins, that man don't know how to fight. He throws punches like a wash woman!

 

[heyzel]

big floyd is telling the truth I see nothing special about joe, if joe fights a glen johnson or someone of that caliber is getting ktfo

 

[heyzel]

Mike Tyson Gives Advice To David Haye

By Mark Vester

During a recent interview with Setanta Sports, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson gave some sound advice to unified cruiserweight champ David Haye.

Haye is planning to vacate his titles and move up to heavyweight division in the fall. The former champ tells Haye that he needs to dedicate his life to boxing if he plans to become a successful heavyweight.

"You have to be dedicate, you have to make this your life," Tyson said. "Being successful has more to do with your lifestyle than anything, you have to live this, dream this, eat this, its just who you want to be."

Haye, upon hearing the words of advice, gave some kinds words back to the former champ. He says Tyson is one of greatest heavyweight champions of all time and hopes that he doesn't return to the ring for a possible third meeting with Evander Holyfield.

"I hope he stays retired and has a nice life with his family, takes it nice and easy and doesn't keep coming back and trying to fight," Haye said. "He's one of the greatest heavyweights of all time. Its sad when he keeps on fighting when he's way over the hill, out of shape and its bad for his health. As a fan of Mike Tyson I would like him to stay retired."

 

[heyzel]

Ndou: "First Malignaggi, Then Ricky Hatton"

Mark Vester

Lovemore Ndou tells The Daily Telegraph that he plans to get revenge when meets IBF junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi in Manchester on May 24. Malignaggi outpointed Ndou for the title last June. Should Malignaggi beat Ndou for the second time, he would meet Ricky Hatton later in the year in New York. Ndou says the bout between Malignaggi and Hatton will not happen because he will not allow himself to be defeated for a second time. Hatton faces Juan Lazcano in the main event.

Ndou says that he would love to face Hatton in Manchester to avenge the loss of Kostya Tszyu, who practically retired after Hatton stopped him in 2005. He said the referee in his first bout with Malignaggi was the contributing factor to his loss. His camp has filed a petition with the IBF to appoint a ref who will let him fight on the inside.

"Hatton is probably the most popular crowd favorite in the world," Ndou said. "I would love to beat him before a huge audience in Manchester to get revenge for Kostya losing the title over there. If I could defend my world title against Hatton it would obviously be the biggest fight of my career."

"But first I have to get the title back from Malignaggi. I'm way ahead of schedule in my preparations for that. I'm sparring (ex-world champ) Gairy St Clair and some good locals Matthew Paulley and Solomon Egberime. So long as I get a fair shake against Malignaggi I can beat him. The referee in our last fight (American Eddie Cotton) kept breaking us apart every time I got close and I couldn't fight my style of fight. We've protested to the IBF over that and asked that they appoint a referee who lets the action flow."

 

[heyzel]

Marquez-Barrera Rematch Possible Says GBP

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer says a rematch between former WBC super featherweight champion Juan Manuel Marquez and Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera is possible.

That’s because Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao who won a close split decision over Marquez last March 15 at the Mandalay Bay Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is not prepared top give the Mexican another shot at him, at least for the time being.

However, both Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank haven’t ruled out a third fight sometime later.

Schaefer informed Viva Sports/Manila Standard Today that “another possibility might be that he (Marquez) fights Nate Campbell.”

The 36 year old Campbell is the reigning IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight champion with a record of 32-5-1 with 25 knockouts. He won the title with a split decision over Juan Diaz in Cancun, Mexico last March 8.

Promoter Arum had also previously mentioned the possibility of a Pacquiao-Campbell title fight later this year assuming Pacquiao wins against WBC lightweight champion David Diaz on June 28 at the Mandalay Bay.

Barrera has also been talking about the possibility of a third fight with Pacquiao although he was demolished in their first clash in November 2003 when he lost by an eleventh round TKO and then dropped a lopsided unanimous twelve round decision in a rematch last October.

 

[heyzel]

Reality Show on American Heavyweights in 08

HOLLYWOOD, CA – Mention the names Muhammad Ali, Joe Louis, Mike Tyson, or Rocky Marciano to anyone from 18 to 80, and you will immediately garner a reaction, a positive acknowledgement of athletes that held what was once seen as the most prestigious title in all of sports – the world heavyweight championship.

But today, ask someone who the heavyweight champion is, and you will receive either a blank stare or multiple answers, thanks to both boxing politics and the fact that those who hold this title have become faceless. Why, because talented and charismatic athletes over 200 pounds have turned to greener pastures on football gridirons across America.

This year, in a groundbreaking TV series that will set the standard in reality sports programming, boxing will look to those gridirons to find an “American Champion” to once again bring attention and prestige to the world heavyweight championship.

American Champion producers have approached several networks regarding the first American Champion show that would air in late fall of 2008.

The series will be produced by Motor Entertainment of Hollywood, CA, led by award winning producers Greg McClatchy and Jason Williams, in partnership with successful boxing promoter Roy Englebrecht.

“We already know they can hit,” said Englebrecht, owner of Roy Englebrecht Promotions and Roy Englebrecht Events who’s fight promotions company is the largest in California in terms of shows promoted. "Let's identify those huge guys who have the heart to take their skill on the football field and move it into the square ring. They're coming from one discipline – football - at 24 years old, in shape, fine tuned, right into our boxing training program.”'

“American Champion” will begin its search with 75 elite athletes from college football programs from around the country. These are athletes who have been team captains, All-America candidates, and award winners who have fallen through the cracks when it came to being drafted into the NFL. Normally, not receiving a phone call on draft day would mark the end of their athletic journey. But their size, talent, intelligence and desire has given them another chance at pro sports in the boxing ring, and under the tutelage of some of America’s top boxing trainers including the likes of renowned trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., they will learn the art of the sweet science from one of its finest teachers.

“You look at football, it’s just like boxing.” said Mayweather, who has been in the corner of fighters from his son, Floyd Jr. to the “Golden Boy”, Oscar De La Hoya. “It’s a sport where you make contact. And these guys know what pain is all about. That’s a good thing.”

“American Champion” is not a reality series…it’s reality. There will be no ‘challenges’ or other hijinks that have no correlation to learning how to become a world champion. The initial 75 athletes will be narrowed down to 30 after a series of intense mental and physical tests, and from that group, six athletes will be chosen to live and train together full-time at the American Champion sports facility.

There, a camera crew will film the drama, the pain, and the physical action that will test the will of each new prizefighter. The six men will become like brothers while training, pushing each other to perform when the bell rings, and they will not fight each other. Instead, the athletes will be developed into true professional boxers, and cameras will follow them as they make their way across the country to various fight venues, giving viewers an unprecedented look into the life on the road, in hotels, and behind the scenes that all potential champions experience.

“College football players and elite athletes who train properly, who are managed properly, and who are matched properly, can be successful in the heavyweight division,” said Englebrecht, one of the premier promoters in the fight game today. “They can bring new life to the heavyweight division, as they brought life to the athletic field. It can be done, it will be done.”

In the end, “American Champion” plans to give the heavyweight division the shot in the arm it needs while developing a star outside of the ring, as well as inside of it, a key element in bringing boxing back to the masses, as the boxers that have the skill and charisma that people can relate to – like Ali or De La Hoya – are the ones who transcend the sport.

“Just like American Idol needs people with real talent, so does heavyweight boxing,” said

American Champion producer Jason Williams. “Heavyweight boxing needs big, fast, smart, quick, dedicated strong willed guys and American Champion is going to bring that star talent to the ring and the whole world of boxing.”

Who is the next great heavyweight? “American Champion” will provide the answer to that question.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Yuriorkis Gamboa calls out Pacquiao

Cuban sensation Yurirokis Gamboa was on a radio talk show were he was asked wish current champion he would like to fight, to wish he answered:


"Well at this time, in regards to who boxing sees as the best boxer in this division, and who’s skill level is most admired is Manny Pacquiao, his the person everybody believes in right now, and I would like to fight Manny Pacquiao to demonstrate to the boxing fans that Pacquiao’s ability is not the only one that can dominate the division, and If I get to fight him I will show that my skill level is enough to be the best. And also I wanna thanks the host for allowing me to express how I feel to the world, and I understand that in pro boxing its not common for a guy with 10 fights to fight the world champion, but I want the people to know that I have the skill level, abilities and experience to take him on right now and take his palce"

 

[heyzel]

thats the fight I want to see but gamboa needs more than 9 fights to call of out pacman, I hope gamboa can stay busy we can prolly see a showdown between the 2 around late 09 early 10

 

[2-0-Sixx]

I actually think he can do pretty good against Pacman, even with only 9 pro fights. However I agree, he needs more experience, lol. Pacman is a beast

 

[heyzel]

yeah gamboa needs to build up his name a little but dude is a beast

 

[heyzel]

Oscar De La Hoya Says He's Going To Put On A "Spectacular Show" Vs. Steve Forbes

by James Slater: Not long now until "The Golden Boy" himself, Oscar De La Hoya, makes his latest return to the boxing ring. May 3rd, as most fans surely know, is the date and Steve Forbes is the opponent. Oscar's been doing a good job in publicising the fight, too. In an interview with The Sporting Life, the 35 year old living legend had the following to say..

"There is no looking past Steve Forbes," The former six-weight world champion began. "I've been training so hard for this, as though it's the most important fight of my life, " De La Hoya claimed.

When reminded about what happened the last time he boxed a guy most people, he included, felt was a relative soft touch (in Felix Sturm) and therefore the all-time great slacked off in training, Oscar had a firm response.

"That's never going to happen again," De La Hoya declared. "That's the last thing I want at this stage of my career. This is his [Forbes'] dream fight, but for him to beat me it's going to take something special because I'm going to put on a spectacular show," Oscar also said.

Let's face it, against a guy as naturally light as Forbes, Oscar should be able to win, and win in style. Forbes is a good, capable and world class fighter, but he is simply too small. Still, De La Hoya is entitled to one tune-up. But what are his plans after that? Oscar still has his "three more fights and out game-plan," but who will he possibly fight in his very last bout?

"You can never count anybody out, you can never scratch anybody off the list," Oscar said when considering his final opponent. "Obviously there's Miguel Cotto, who's considered one of the best. But it's too far ahead. There's not going to be any fights in 2009, no fights past December. I want to have these three fights and go out like a champion," De La Hoya explained.

You've got to hand it to De La Hoya, he is at least having one of his most active years in a long while in his final twelve months in the sport. The mere suggestion of a fight with Cotto, however, would definitely get a lot more fans interested than the one with Steve Forbes has. Should Oscar face Cotto, either immediately after Forbes, or in his farewell bout in December, "The Golden Boy" would, win or lose, reinforce his reputation, even in the eyes of his biggest detractors, as a true warrior. Indeed, a De La Hoya-Cotto fight would likely bury anything Floyd Mayweather could do - aside from "Pretty Boy" taking on Cotto himself, that is.

We don't really want to see Mayweather-De La Hoya II, but it looks like we're going to anyway. Should Oscar also give the fans a Cotto fight, however, he would indeed retire as a true all-time great. If this is not the case anyway.

 

[heyzel]

Team Mayweather Selects Latest Excuse To Duck Cotto

24.04.08 - By Scoop Malinowski: Team Mayweather has floated several different excuses and reasons to duck Miguel Cotto in the past but this week, probably after extremely careful deliberation, they've come out and settled on one - that Cotto lacks enough star power to interest Floyd..

Leonard Ellerbe said to the New York Post: "I think Cotto is a good fighter who's definitely improving. His promotional company has done a good job in getting the right type of fights to increase his visibility. But he's still not there yet. The numbers don't lie. If nobody's watching him as evidenced by the ratings, what makes him important? I'm not saying he's a bad fighter. He's a good fighter. But he's obviously not on Floyd's level because nobody's watching."
"It took Floyd nine years to get on pay-per-view," Ellerbe said. "When Floyd steps into the ring, it's going to be about legacy and economics. He's in control of what's going on and if those two things aren't happening, Floyd's not going to be part of that."

If you remember, Team Mayweather has also used several other flimsy excuses to avoid Cotto: 1. We won't do business with Bob Arum again. 2. I'm not going to let boxing retire me, I will retire from boxing, when asked by Larry Merchant on HBO after the Hatton win if he will fight Cotto. 3. Floyd's bored with boxing. 4. Floyd's body is breaking down. 5. Cotto is a punching bag and he knows he can't beat Floyd. 6. Floyd may go to MMA or WWE.

So now Team Mayweather has made it clear yet again they are absolutely refusing to consider a Welterweight Superfight, one that everyone wants to see, because Cotto is, in their opinion, lacking star power, according to an HBO ratings statistic they came up with. Whatever the rating was, no one can deny the atmosphere at the Boardwalk Hall on April 12 was much more exciting than any Mayweather fights which weren't piggybacked on Gatti, Oscar or Hatton.

The problem most logical boxing fans will have with this Team Mayweather excuse is that at one time Floyd was himself in the same situation. Floyd's HBO ratings vs. Henry Bruseles must have been similar or worse but Floyd persevered and Arturo Gatti, being the true warrior he is, fought Mayweather in a match he was a massive long-shot. Team Gatti never once used any excuses such as "Floyd is unimportant to us" or "Floyd's ratings for the Bruseles fight were too low for us to fight him." Gatti accepted the fact it was the fight the boxing powers wanted to see and some fans wanted and he agreed to it. Gatti, as a superstar, respected the fact Floyd deserved an opportunity on the big stage and gave it to him, without using any EXCUSES.

Next it was Oscar De La Hoya. Oscar, the most popular figure in the sport, did not have to fight the far less popular but talented Mayweather who was practically booed out of the arena during his boring win against Carlos Baldomir. Oscar, a much bigger star than Floyd, did not use any excuses to duck Mayweather like citing Floyd's small (in comparison) pay-per-view numbers or the fact ticket-buyers began walking out of the Baldomir fight well before it was over. Oscar did what was right for boxing (and himself), gave the fans the fight they wanted to see, and gave a very big special favor for the career of Mayweather.

Ellerbe, speaking for Mayweather, is not showing anywhere remotely near the same respect or generosity towards Miguel Cotto. They are desperately grasping on to the straw excuse that 'Cotto lacks enough star power/importance for us to fight him.' Which is totally hypocritical to the generosity of Gatti and Oscar which helped Mayweather ascend to his current position in boxing.

Gatti did not seek to maximize payday rematches with Branco or Dorin as a way to duck Mayweather. De La Hoya did not seek to maximize lucrative rematches with Vargas or Mayorga so in order to duck Mayweather. They did the right thing for the sport and the fans, they fought the best and took their chances.

Why won't Mayweather fight the best and take his chances? It seems rather clear by now, with all the different excuses and reasons to duck Cotto, Mayweather fears something about Cotto and is unsure if he can defeat the Puerto Rican powerhouse. That's the final conclusion and it must be written and said. There's no time to sugarcoat it or sweep it under the rug anymore. Bob Arum is probably 100% right when he insists with firm certainty that Mayweather "is a PSYCHOLOGICAL COWARD."

Boxing fans should unite and make a collective statement when they try to sell us Floyd vs. Oscar II, a lousy rematch of a first fight which Glen Johnson called "garbage" and Bob Foster called "a bunch of junk." Because there is by far only one superfight in boxing right now and no matter what a self-serving yes man like Ellerbe (according to Jeff Mayweather) says, it's Miguel Cotto vs. Floyd Mayweather. A tantalizing showdown between the two best welterweights on the planet, humble gracious champion vs. the arrogant titleholder...the honorable and noble class act vs. the immature spoiled punk...the fearless warrior who will fight whoever they put in front of him vs. the handpicker who has selected every single opponent from day one...the relentless offensive firepower of Cotto vs. the aesthetic defensive boxing skills of Floyd...the soft-spoken gentleman vs. the loud-mouthed braggart.

Ellerbe can talk all he wants about how unimportant Miguel Cotto is. But it's a bluff. An empty, self-serving, self-surviving bluff. The real reason Mayweather won't fight Cotto is because there's a more than likely chance Floyd will be violently and abusively knocked out.

Because if Team Mayweather truly felt confident they could beat Cotto wouldn't they at least say something like, Yes we will fight Cotto once he beats Margarito or so-and-so? But Team Mayweather has never once said they will fight Cotto under any conditions, not even winner take all. Or a 90-10% split.

I believe Team Mayweather, despite all their different excuses and reasons, is actually patiently banking on one single option to avoid Cotto. They are hoping Cotto loses to Antonio Margarito or, say, Paul Williams.

Team Mayweather's latest excuse only affirms what most logical boxing fans already know. Floyd Mayweather is afraid to step in a ring and fight a young, strong, intelligent, confident, proud, classy and honorable warrior like Miguel Cotto

 

[heyzel]

Junior Witter "I'm in the hottest form of my career

Junior Witter believes he is in the hottest form of his career ahead of his next world title defence against Timothy Bradley at the Trent FM Arena Nottingham on May 10. Witter (Bradford, England) makes the third defence of his prestigious WBC light-welterweight title on a Hennessy Sports show in association with GoldenPalace.com as joint main event with Carl Froch’s (Nottingham, England) WBC super-middleweight title final eliminator against Denis Inkin (Russia)..

Witter is in Gran Canaria preparing for Bradley (Palm Springs, USA) and is confident the best is yet to come from him after knocking out Vivian Harris (New York/Guyana) in the seventh round in September.

He said: "I think the Harris fight was the best of my career and it has raised the expectations on me, but I will deal with that when I deal with Bradley.

"It was a brilliant stoppage of Harris, a former world champion, and it has given me a real boost. It showed that I am a big puncher after a few of my recent fights had gone to points.

"But there’s still a lot more to come from me and the harder the fights, the better I perform."

Witter has praised Bradley for stepping up to be his next challenger after American Demetrius Hopkins pulled out less than a month before a scheduled fight with ‘The Hitter’ in March.

He said: "I was shocked when Hopkins pulled out and it was very frustrating because I had been training for 12 weeks. But Bradley has shown a lot of bottle for taking this fight and I give him respect for stepping up to the plate. I expect him to come at me with everything he’s got on the night."

Witter needed surgery a week after his last fight on a knee injury, but says he is completely over the problem.

He said: "The knee is fine and it has not slowed me down in training at all for this fight. I had surgery on it and the operation sorted the ligament problem in my left knee."

Both fights will be broadcast live on ITV1, with further fights from the under-card broadcast on ITV4, the show will also be shown on a ShoBox special in the US and on Super Channel Canada.

 

[heyzel]

Fields And Barrett Meet On Pacquiao-Diaz Card

by James Slater: On the under-card of the massively intriguing June 28th lightweight battle between David Diaz and Manny Pacquiao, there is an also quite interesting heavyweight clash. The huge Tye Fields takes what is arguably his sternest test yet when he meets former world title challenger Monte Barrett over ten rounds..

The jury is still very much out on the 33 year old Fields, a massive southpaw who stands at 6'8." And though the 36 year old Barrett has seen better days, he can be extremely dangerous at times - as he proved when stopping the then unbeaten Owen Beck a couple of years back. Since then "Two Gunz" has lost three of his last five, but he enters the bout with Fields having won his last two fights by quick KO. Will Barrett ruin Fields' chances of possibly becoming the next big thing (figuratively and literally) at heavyweight?

Apart from an early blip in his career, when he was stopped in just one round by the 2-0 Jeff Ford, Fields, who weighs-in at around 260-270 pounds, has been perfect. In amassing a statistically impressive record of 41-1(37) the colossus has got people talking. He clearly has size, strength and some punching power, but is "Big Sky" the real deal? The fight with Barrett will likely answer at least a coupe of questions. The biggest question any emerging yet largely untested heavyweight contender faces is one regarding his chin. Can Fields take a good shot on the jaw? Barrett will certainly be aiming to find out.

There is no doubt the smaller Barrett has faced the better opposition. In his career record of 33-6(19), the 36 year old has been in with Lance Whitaker (L split 12), Wladmir Klitschko (L TKO 7), Tim Witherspoon (W split 10), Joe Mesi (L Majority 10), Hasim Rahman (L unanimous 12) and Nikolay Valuev (L TKO 11). That's quite a list of good fighters. Tye Fields, on the other hand, could probably only point to former champ Bruce Seldon and proven trial horse Sedreck Fields as his two best opponents. And though Barrett lost to most of the good men he fought, he rarely goes down easily or quickly.

At age 33, it is time for Fields to make a move and step up in quality. Monte Barrett, at the very least, offers a slight move in the right direction. Something tells me this one could be lively! I go for Fields to grind "Two Gunz" down for a late stoppage. But he will likely have to go through some rough patches first.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Don't understand why Tye Fields isn't the main event. Pacquaio should definitely be the undercard.

Anyways, Tye Fields by devastating KO in round 1. I warn everyone watchin on their TV's at home to hold on to something sturdy because Tye's force has been known to be so powerful to travel threw TV's and knock people down.

Monte Barrett is no joke either, he's a beast. But unfortunately his life will end against Tye. Here is a file photo of Barrett, who as you can see, has an iron chin:

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Joan Guzman-Alex Arthur is in Jeopardy!


By Mark Vester

ITV has reported that Joan Guzman's defense of the WBO super featherweight title against Alex Arthur, scheduled for May 3 at Meadowbank Arena in Edinburgh, is set to be postponed.

A WBO spokeswoman told ITV that Guzman has encountered problems in obtaining a visa to travel to Scotland. At the present, the fight appears to heading to a later date.

"It has not been cancelled but it may be postponed because of the visa (problem)," said the WBO spokeswoman. "(The visa office) weren't giving him the appointment to make the trip. Guzman was supposed to be in the UK today, but it was only today he had the appointment. I'm told it went very well but I wouldn't say the fight would go ahead as planned."

 

[heyzel]

Joan Guzman-Alex Arthur is in Jeopardy!


By Mark Vester

ITV has reported that Joan Guzman's defense of the WBO super featherweight title against Alex Arthur, scheduled for May 3 at Meadowbank Arena in Edinburgh, is set to be postponed.

A WBO spokeswoman told ITV that Guzman has encountered problems in obtaining a visa to travel to Scotland. At the present, the fight appears to heading to a later date.

"It has not been cancelled but it may be postponed because of the visa (problem)," said the WBO spokeswoman. "(The visa office) weren't giving him the appointment to make the trip. Guzman was supposed to be in the UK today, but it was only today he had the appointment. I'm told it went very well but I wouldn't say the fight would go ahead as planned."

damnI was looking forward to this fight

 

[naner12]

Should we start a petition to have Monte Barrett not face Tye Fields? I have two main points that could be used.

1. I don't want Monte Barrett to be beaten to death.
2. I'd like to see the Pacquiao/Diaz match and I'm not sure it would continue after Barrett is killed in the ring, which is the only logical outcome of this fight.

The word on the streets is that Tye Fields made Barrett wear pink gloves against Valuev because he'd though it'd be funny. He also threatened Valuev to never ever shave his back, no matter how disgusting it gets.