Boxing News Thread
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Jose Canseco gets punchy, sends twin brother to fight in his place
By 'Duk
Having a twin sibling in your life comes with many well-known benefits.
Double the wardrobe! Chewing gum commercials! The ability to switch dates after a trip to the restroom!
Sending your brother to fight a celebrity boxing match you no longer want to don the gloves for!
OK, check that last one: Jose Canseco (right) reportedly tried it over the weekend down in Miami and Ozzie Canseco — his 46-year-old twin brother previously best known to baseball fans for this baseball card and 65 career at-bats with the A's and Cardinals— ended up fooling nobody. The scheduled fight with Billy Padden never went down and the Miami Herald reports that Ozzie left the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino escorted by police officers.
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This was only after Celebrity Boxing officials say they didn't notice that it was Ozzie — he of zero career homers to his brother's 462 — who was wearing a simple disguise of sunglasses and a t-shirt at Friday's weigh-in event.
So how did they ultimately uncover the Cansecos' caper on Saturday night?
From the Miami Herald:
"We discovered the Canseco who showed up was Ozzie when he took off his shirt and didn't have José's tattoos on the biceps that appear in our advertising," a Celebrity Boxing representative told El Nuevo Herald.
José Canseco did not respond to telephone calls.
As is his usual custom these days, Jose Canseco has taken to Twitter— well, at least we presume it's him tapping away 140 characters at a time — to present his side of the story. He said on Saturday night that Celebrity Boxing promoter Damon Feldman didn't fulfill his end of the bargain, an allegation that an unidentified source denied to the Miami Herald. (The source told the paper that Jose Canseco was paid his agreed-upon $10,000 fee in two separate installments.)
Jose Canseco continued his tweeting on Monday morning, claiming the media was out to get him and that the real story was not out in the public. But instead of shedding some more light on the situation, Canseco only made an appeal to his followers for an explanation of why Jose and Ozzie might start playing The Parent Trap in a boxing ring.
"Is anyone out there smart enough to figure it out or are you all a bunch of hateful morons," Jose asked on Twitter.
No, we're probably not smart enough to "figure out" Jose's latest nutty scheme gone wrong on a long list of them.
We're not above laughing at a twin switcheroo gone bad, either.
Yahoo sports
Mayorga targeting Chavez Jr.
By Jason Kim: Former two-division world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KO’s) is praying that he can get a shot at unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) next if the 25-year-old Chavez Jr. wins his bout against WBC middleweight paper champion Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KO’s) on June 4th in Los Angeles, California.
While some boxing fans may laugh at the idea of Mayorga being able to get a shot against Chavez Jr. and fighting him for his paper title, it’s something that would have an excellent chance of actually happening. The reason why is pretty simple. Chavez Jr. is a badly flawed fighter and the WBC basically handed him the WBC title by making Zbik the champion rather than letting Chavez Jr. try and fight for it against Sergio Martinez, who the WBC stripped of the belt because he opted to fight Sergiy Dzinziruk recently.
Chavez Jr. would likely been beaten with ease by Martinez. He would also have huge problems against contenders like David Lemieux, Paul Williams, and Fernando Guerrero. I doubt that Chavez Jr’s promoter Bob Arum will want to see Chavez Jr. get taken apart by Lemieux or beaten by the likes of Williams and Guerrero. Instead, I can see Chavez Jr. getting a fight with the 38-year-old Mayorga, who Chavez Jr. can probably beat in a life and death type fight. Chavez Jr. could then be matched up with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in a nice in house Top Rank fight and be torn apart by Cotto. That’s the probably end game for Chavez Jr.
They need to put him in with Cotto as fast as possible for a cash out fight because if Chavez Jr. has to defend his title more than once, he’ll have to fight his mandatory and that’s not going to be a good thing because he’ll get trounced by Lemieux. The Mayorga fight will be a risky one for Chavez Jr. to be sure. But it’s a fight that he can definitely win if he comes in shape and throws some hard left hooks. Mayorga was stopped in the 12th round in his last fight against Cotto on March 12th, and is vulnerable to being knocked out. It’s going to be interesting to see if Chavez’s promoter has enough faith in him to put him in with someone like Mayorga.
My guess is they won’t want to take the risk and will either put Chavez Jr. in immediately for a cash out fight with Cotto or they’ll match him up with a bottom dweller contender in the middleweight division like Sam Soliman or Koji Sato. In other words, someone ranked low without any power or much of a chance to beat Chavez Jr. They’ll probably make it a pay-per-view bout, of course, and fans will have to pay somewhere along the lines of $40 to watch Chavez Jr. beat up on a lower ranked fighter before he’s eventually thrown in and ripped apart by Cotto.
By Jason Kim: Former two-division world champion Ricardo Mayorga (29-8-1, 23 KO’s) is praying that he can get a shot at unbeaten Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) next if the 25-year-old Chavez Jr. wins his bout against WBC middleweight paper champion Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KO’s) on June 4th in Los Angeles, California.
While some boxing fans may laugh at the idea of Mayorga being able to get a shot against Chavez Jr. and fighting him for his paper title, it’s something that would have an excellent chance of actually happening. The reason why is pretty simple. Chavez Jr. is a badly flawed fighter and the WBC basically handed him the WBC title by making Zbik the champion rather than letting Chavez Jr. try and fight for it against Sergio Martinez, who the WBC stripped of the belt because he opted to fight Sergiy Dzinziruk recently.
Chavez Jr. would likely been beaten with ease by Martinez. He would also have huge problems against contenders like David Lemieux, Paul Williams, and Fernando Guerrero. I doubt that Chavez Jr’s promoter Bob Arum will want to see Chavez Jr. get taken apart by Lemieux or beaten by the likes of Williams and Guerrero. Instead, I can see Chavez Jr. getting a fight with the 38-year-old Mayorga, who Chavez Jr. can probably beat in a life and death type fight. Chavez Jr. could then be matched up with WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in a nice in house Top Rank fight and be torn apart by Cotto. That’s the probably end game for Chavez Jr.
They need to put him in with Cotto as fast as possible for a cash out fight because if Chavez Jr. has to defend his title more than once, he’ll have to fight his mandatory and that’s not going to be a good thing because he’ll get trounced by Lemieux. The Mayorga fight will be a risky one for Chavez Jr. to be sure. But it’s a fight that he can definitely win if he comes in shape and throws some hard left hooks. Mayorga was stopped in the 12th round in his last fight against Cotto on March 12th, and is vulnerable to being knocked out. It’s going to be interesting to see if Chavez’s promoter has enough faith in him to put him in with someone like Mayorga.
My guess is they won’t want to take the risk and will either put Chavez Jr. in immediately for a cash out fight with Cotto or they’ll match him up with a bottom dweller contender in the middleweight division like Sam Soliman or Koji Sato. In other words, someone ranked low without any power or much of a chance to beat Chavez Jr. They’ll probably make it a pay-per-view bout, of course, and fans will have to pay somewhere along the lines of $40 to watch Chavez Jr. beat up on a lower ranked fighter before he’s eventually thrown in and ripped apart by Cotto.
Khan: I’ll treat McCloskey like he’s another Maidana
By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) isn’t over-looking his next opponent Paul McCloskey (22-0, 12 KO’s) and plans on treating him like he another Marcos Maidana, Khan said in an interview at the BBC News. Khan, 24, faces McCloskey on April 16th at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester.
McCloskey, however, has none of the same power as Maidana, which is why it seems all the more amusing that Khan is saying he’s going to treat McCloskey like Maidana. This is basically a hand-picked opponent for Khan. He selected the weak-punching, slow-handed McCloskey over harder punchers like Breidis Prescott and Lamont Peterson.
Now Khan is saying he wants to use McCloskey to try and look good against. The chances are high that Khan will look good against McCloskey, but that’s normally the case when you selected someone that is way out of his class and has never fought a 1st tier fighter before. When you’re a champion like Khan, you’d at least like to see him fighting someone with experience beyond the EBU level, don’t you? Sadly, McCloskey has been fighting Euro level opponents until now.
The #5 ranking by the WBA seems to be another case of the WBA giving a fighter without experience at the upper level a high ranking. They did this with Dimitriy Salita and look what Khan did to him. Salita had never fought a 1st tier fighter before and was given a number #1 ranking by the WBA. Khan promptly destroyed Salita in a 1st round blowout. How the WBA could make Salita #1 above guys like Victor Ortiz is beyond me. I don’t understand that kind of ranking.
In the BBC interview, Khan said “I want to prove to everyone how good Amir Khan is. Not only in England, but all over the world. So I want to beat McCloskey in better fashion than Bradley beat Devon Alexander.”
The one problem getting in the way of Khan getting more credit than Bradley did for his win over Alexander is that McCloskey isn’t in the same class as Alexander. I mean, come on, Khan. Do you really think that boxing fans see the little known McCloskey as being in the same league as Alexander? All it takes is one glance of one of McCloskey’s fights on youtube for you to see how painfully slow, hittable and weak-punching McCloskey is. Does Khan think McCoskey’s mediocre skills are going to be missed by boxing fans worldwide who see the Khan-McCloskey fight?
By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) isn’t over-looking his next opponent Paul McCloskey (22-0, 12 KO’s) and plans on treating him like he another Marcos Maidana, Khan said in an interview at the BBC News. Khan, 24, faces McCloskey on April 16th at the M.E.N. Arena, in Manchester.
McCloskey, however, has none of the same power as Maidana, which is why it seems all the more amusing that Khan is saying he’s going to treat McCloskey like Maidana. This is basically a hand-picked opponent for Khan. He selected the weak-punching, slow-handed McCloskey over harder punchers like Breidis Prescott and Lamont Peterson.
Now Khan is saying he wants to use McCloskey to try and look good against. The chances are high that Khan will look good against McCloskey, but that’s normally the case when you selected someone that is way out of his class and has never fought a 1st tier fighter before. When you’re a champion like Khan, you’d at least like to see him fighting someone with experience beyond the EBU level, don’t you? Sadly, McCloskey has been fighting Euro level opponents until now.
The #5 ranking by the WBA seems to be another case of the WBA giving a fighter without experience at the upper level a high ranking. They did this with Dimitriy Salita and look what Khan did to him. Salita had never fought a 1st tier fighter before and was given a number #1 ranking by the WBA. Khan promptly destroyed Salita in a 1st round blowout. How the WBA could make Salita #1 above guys like Victor Ortiz is beyond me. I don’t understand that kind of ranking.
In the BBC interview, Khan said “I want to prove to everyone how good Amir Khan is. Not only in England, but all over the world. So I want to beat McCloskey in better fashion than Bradley beat Devon Alexander.”
The one problem getting in the way of Khan getting more credit than Bradley did for his win over Alexander is that McCloskey isn’t in the same class as Alexander. I mean, come on, Khan. Do you really think that boxing fans see the little known McCloskey as being in the same league as Alexander? All it takes is one glance of one of McCloskey’s fights on youtube for you to see how painfully slow, hittable and weak-punching McCloskey is. Does Khan think McCoskey’s mediocre skills are going to be missed by boxing fans worldwide who see the Khan-McCloskey fight?
Gamboa-Lopez needs to be made
By Tom David Drury: All legends need a powerful rival, (Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, Ray Leonard had Marvin Haggler) a competitor who will stimulate and inspire them to perform to the very best of their abilities. The featherweight division is playing host to its own rivalry, (while not on the level of Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather) quietly creating its own allure.
Boxing aficionados are desperate to see exciting Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa take on dynamite puncher Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico, this pairing is almost certain to guarantee fireworks. Gamboa is the current WBA, IBF featherweight champion, his professional record is (20 wins 0 defeats 0 draws) 16 of those wins came by way of knockout. Gamboa’s latest victim was Jorge Solis (40-2-2) prior to the fight.
Solis looked a shadow of the fighter that once kept up with Manny Paquiao for 8 rounds, but credit must be given to Gamboa who totally outgunned him, Solis hit the canvass a total of five times causing referee David Shields to stop the fight in the fourth round giving Gamboa the victory by (TKO). Juan Manuel Lopez will be by far the biggest test of Gamboa’s professional career if they meet, Lopez also possesses a stellar amateur career and an undefeated professional record (30 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws) 27 of those wins by way of knockout. His most recent victory came by way of (TKO) against Mexican Rafael Marquez, who could not carry on due to a shoulder injury.
Lopez’s professional debut was on 29/1/2005 in Puerto Rico, scoring a quick knockout victory over also debuting Luis Colon, Lopez then went on to win 9 successive fights by way of K.O, ( Ivan Cordero, Efrain Perez, Eric Nemos, Charlie Jones, Roberto Chacon, Luis Bolano, Manuel Sanabria, and Jose Luis Caro. If Gamboa-Lopez meet, the fight will most likely take place in Las Vegas, at present Juan Manuel Lopez (WBO featherweight champion) would be the bigger draw due to thus far taking on the bigger names, on the bigger stages and the Puerto Rican community in America, where both fighters are based, dwarfing the Cuban community. Lets hope Bob Arum (Top Rank Promotions) who promotes both fighters, feels its in the best interest of boxing to make this mouth-watering clash happen, the last thing boxing needs right now is a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather situation.
By Tom David Drury: All legends need a powerful rival, (Muhammad Ali had Joe Frazier, Ray Leonard had Marvin Haggler) a competitor who will stimulate and inspire them to perform to the very best of their abilities. The featherweight division is playing host to its own rivalry, (while not on the level of Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather) quietly creating its own allure.
Boxing aficionados are desperate to see exciting Cuban Yuriorkis Gamboa take on dynamite puncher Juan Manuel Lopez of Puerto Rico, this pairing is almost certain to guarantee fireworks. Gamboa is the current WBA, IBF featherweight champion, his professional record is (20 wins 0 defeats 0 draws) 16 of those wins came by way of knockout. Gamboa’s latest victim was Jorge Solis (40-2-2) prior to the fight.
Solis looked a shadow of the fighter that once kept up with Manny Paquiao for 8 rounds, but credit must be given to Gamboa who totally outgunned him, Solis hit the canvass a total of five times causing referee David Shields to stop the fight in the fourth round giving Gamboa the victory by (TKO). Juan Manuel Lopez will be by far the biggest test of Gamboa’s professional career if they meet, Lopez also possesses a stellar amateur career and an undefeated professional record (30 wins, 0 losses, 0 draws) 27 of those wins by way of knockout. His most recent victory came by way of (TKO) against Mexican Rafael Marquez, who could not carry on due to a shoulder injury.
Lopez’s professional debut was on 29/1/2005 in Puerto Rico, scoring a quick knockout victory over also debuting Luis Colon, Lopez then went on to win 9 successive fights by way of K.O, ( Ivan Cordero, Efrain Perez, Eric Nemos, Charlie Jones, Roberto Chacon, Luis Bolano, Manuel Sanabria, and Jose Luis Caro. If Gamboa-Lopez meet, the fight will most likely take place in Las Vegas, at present Juan Manuel Lopez (WBO featherweight champion) would be the bigger draw due to thus far taking on the bigger names, on the bigger stages and the Puerto Rican community in America, where both fighters are based, dwarfing the Cuban community. Lets hope Bob Arum (Top Rank Promotions) who promotes both fighters, feels its in the best interest of boxing to make this mouth-watering clash happen, the last thing boxing needs right now is a Manny Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather situation.
Arum won’t match Gamboa with Lopez, then he needs to have Gamboa move up in weight
By Dan Ambrose: Bob Arum appears to be reluctant to see his fighter IBF/WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (20-0, 16 KO’s) fight his money making machine WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) and it’s pretty obvious to see why.
With the power and the crushing speed that Gamboa possesses, he would likely knock Lopez cold and diminish his money-making potential in the short term.
It would be like taking Lopez back to square one and it would take a while for him to work his way back to where he is now if ever does. Gamboa looks too for him and that’s perhaps why Arum doesn’t want to see Lopez bludgeoned into submission by the former 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for Cuba. As such, Gamboa needs to try and quickly get a fight with Chris John (44-0-2, 22 KO’s), the WBA featherweight paper champion.
This would be a huge mismatch because John is going life and death with fighters like Rocky Juarez. Gamboa would destroy both of those fighters with ease. If the John doesn’t want the Gamboa fight, then Gamboa needs to move up in weight and try and take on one of the super featherweights like WBO champion Ricky Burns. That’s about the only interesting fight at the talent poor super featherweight division.
Gamboa then needs to move up to lightweight and take on someone like Brandon Rios or Humberto Soto. The ideal fight would be against Juan Manuel Marquez, but that’s not likely to happen because Marquez is very pick nowadays about who he fights.
By Dan Ambrose: Bob Arum appears to be reluctant to see his fighter IBF/WBA featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gamboa (20-0, 16 KO’s) fight his money making machine WBO featherweight champion Juan Manuel Lopez (30-0, 27 KO’s) and it’s pretty obvious to see why.
With the power and the crushing speed that Gamboa possesses, he would likely knock Lopez cold and diminish his money-making potential in the short term.
It would be like taking Lopez back to square one and it would take a while for him to work his way back to where he is now if ever does. Gamboa looks too for him and that’s perhaps why Arum doesn’t want to see Lopez bludgeoned into submission by the former 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for Cuba. As such, Gamboa needs to try and quickly get a fight with Chris John (44-0-2, 22 KO’s), the WBA featherweight paper champion.
This would be a huge mismatch because John is going life and death with fighters like Rocky Juarez. Gamboa would destroy both of those fighters with ease. If the John doesn’t want the Gamboa fight, then Gamboa needs to move up in weight and try and take on one of the super featherweights like WBO champion Ricky Burns. That’s about the only interesting fight at the talent poor super featherweight division.
Gamboa then needs to move up to lightweight and take on someone like Brandon Rios or Humberto Soto. The ideal fight would be against Juan Manuel Marquez, but that’s not likely to happen because Marquez is very pick nowadays about who he fights.
Donaire could wind up fighting with Top Rank until 2013
By Eric Thomas: WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire could end up back at his old promotional company Top Rank after the company reportedly won the first part of the legal hurdle with Golden Boy Promotions on Monday in their fight over which promotional company gets Donaire.
Arbitrator Daniel Weinstein, a former California Superior Court judge, made a decision yesterday. The judge decided that Golden Boy had violated an earlier agreement between them and Top Rank about the two companies not trying to take each other’s fighters.
Golden Boy Promotions recently signed Donaire to a contract. However, Bob Arum of Top Rank is saying that his contract with Donaire was still intact and that he still has time left on it before it’s up. Donaire originally signed with Top Rank in 2008. However, there is a clause in the contract that adds on time to the contract if the fighter is injured, according to Kevin Iole at Yahoo Sports News.
Donaire apparently was injured for much of his first year of his contract with Top Rank. As such, there is that time that might have to be made up by having the contract extended into 2012. There is also a one year option in the contract, and Top Rank plans on exercising that option.
The contract then extends into 2013. In another words, Donaire is looking at another two years with Top Rank. Donaire will be in a great position with Top Rank to possibly get some interesting fights if Arum is willing to match Donaire with two of his other big stars in the next two years with Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez.
Those guys are fighting at two divisions above Donaire right now at featherweight. However, Donaire is already planning on moving up in weight soon to super bantamweight and in the near future, he could find himself fighting at featherweight. It would be great if Arum could put Donaire in with at least one of those two big stars before Donaire’s contract runs out in 2013.
Donaire will be 30-years-old by then, which is still in his prime but getting on in years. He’ll have a few good years left in him if he decides he doesn’t want to fight for Top Rank anymore at that time. Hopefully, Donaire doesn’t get injured again.
By Eric Thomas: WBC/WBO bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire could end up back at his old promotional company Top Rank after the company reportedly won the first part of the legal hurdle with Golden Boy Promotions on Monday in their fight over which promotional company gets Donaire.
Arbitrator Daniel Weinstein, a former California Superior Court judge, made a decision yesterday. The judge decided that Golden Boy had violated an earlier agreement between them and Top Rank about the two companies not trying to take each other’s fighters.
Golden Boy Promotions recently signed Donaire to a contract. However, Bob Arum of Top Rank is saying that his contract with Donaire was still intact and that he still has time left on it before it’s up. Donaire originally signed with Top Rank in 2008. However, there is a clause in the contract that adds on time to the contract if the fighter is injured, according to Kevin Iole at Yahoo Sports News.
Donaire apparently was injured for much of his first year of his contract with Top Rank. As such, there is that time that might have to be made up by having the contract extended into 2012. There is also a one year option in the contract, and Top Rank plans on exercising that option.
The contract then extends into 2013. In another words, Donaire is looking at another two years with Top Rank. Donaire will be in a great position with Top Rank to possibly get some interesting fights if Arum is willing to match Donaire with two of his other big stars in the next two years with Yuriorkis Gamboa and Juan Manuel Lopez.
Those guys are fighting at two divisions above Donaire right now at featherweight. However, Donaire is already planning on moving up in weight soon to super bantamweight and in the near future, he could find himself fighting at featherweight. It would be great if Arum could put Donaire in with at least one of those two big stars before Donaire’s contract runs out in 2013.
Donaire will be 30-years-old by then, which is still in his prime but getting on in years. He’ll have a few good years left in him if he decides he doesn’t want to fight for Top Rank anymore at that time. Hopefully, Donaire doesn’t get injured again.
Universum threatens WBA with lawsuit
By Eric Thomas: Fightnews.com is reporting that the German promotional company Universum is threatening the World Boxing Association [WBA] with a potential lawsuit. Universum promotes former WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (27-1-1, 17 KO’s), who defeated Kali Meehan by a 12 round unanimous decision last year in May 2010 to become the mandatory challenger for WBA heavyweight champion David Haye.
Chagaev was supposed to have been given a shot at Haye’s title by April. However, instead of defending his strap against Chagaev, Haye is looking to fight a unification bout against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in June or July of this year while Chagaev is left with no title fight. Klaus-Peter Kohl, Chagaev’s promoter, paid the fees for Chagaev to fight Meehan last year in the WBA title eliminator, thinking it was going to lead to a title shot for his fighter.
However, with Haye now fighting Klitschko instead of Chagaev, you could see why Kohl and Chagaev might not be happy right now. In addition, there have been rumors floating around that the WBA will be elevating Haye into a position called WBA Super World champion. The regular WBA heavyweight title would then be fought over by the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Jean Marc Mormeck. That’s not exactly an appealing situation for Chagaev if it does come down to this, because those fighters aren’t big names and won’t likely bring in anywhere near the same kind of money as a fight against Haye or one of the Klitschkos. Chagaev would stand a good chance of beating Haye, because of Chagaev’s southpaw stance, good chin and experience.
Chagaev already lost to Wladimir in 2009. However, if Chagaev were able to fight Haye and beat him, he would have been able to make a lot of money in a unification bout against one of the Klitschkos.
By Eric Thomas: Fightnews.com is reporting that the German promotional company Universum is threatening the World Boxing Association [WBA] with a potential lawsuit. Universum promotes former WBA heavyweight champion Ruslan Chagaev (27-1-1, 17 KO’s), who defeated Kali Meehan by a 12 round unanimous decision last year in May 2010 to become the mandatory challenger for WBA heavyweight champion David Haye.
Chagaev was supposed to have been given a shot at Haye’s title by April. However, instead of defending his strap against Chagaev, Haye is looking to fight a unification bout against IBF/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko in June or July of this year while Chagaev is left with no title fight. Klaus-Peter Kohl, Chagaev’s promoter, paid the fees for Chagaev to fight Meehan last year in the WBA title eliminator, thinking it was going to lead to a title shot for his fighter.
However, with Haye now fighting Klitschko instead of Chagaev, you could see why Kohl and Chagaev might not be happy right now. In addition, there have been rumors floating around that the WBA will be elevating Haye into a position called WBA Super World champion. The regular WBA heavyweight title would then be fought over by the likes of Alexander Povetkin and Jean Marc Mormeck. That’s not exactly an appealing situation for Chagaev if it does come down to this, because those fighters aren’t big names and won’t likely bring in anywhere near the same kind of money as a fight against Haye or one of the Klitschkos. Chagaev would stand a good chance of beating Haye, because of Chagaev’s southpaw stance, good chin and experience.
Chagaev already lost to Wladimir in 2009. However, if Chagaev were able to fight Haye and beat him, he would have been able to make a lot of money in a unification bout against one of the Klitschkos.
Bernard Hopkins says Shane Mosley connection doesn't make him a Drug User
By Johnny Benz
By now you are well aware of the melee between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins at yesterday's press conference. A shoving match ensued after Pascal repeatedly demanded that Hopkins should take a blood test for illegal performance enhancing drugs before the two face off for their scheduled rematch on May 21.
In a recent interview with WFAN in New York with Boomer and Carton, Hopkins discussed yesterday's melee and the addressed the drug testing situation brought up by Pascal.
When asked what happened at the press conference in Montreal on Monday, Hopkins told the program: "He (Pascal) ambushed the whole press conference as far as talking about the fight. He was accusing me of my last fight that I shouldn’t have been as good, as fast, as strong, and I competed." Hopkins was refering to their first fight which happened late last year. It was ruled a draw.
Hopkins went on to add: "Whatever he was thinking he was desperate and he started saying ‘take a test, take a blood test, take this, take that.’"
Hopkins then went on to explain that his connection to "Sugar" Shane Mosley through mutual trainer is not a reason to point the finger at him.
"Then he started bringing up that I was a friend of Nazim Richardson, who has been my trainer for years, and Nazim Richardson trains Sugar Shane Mosley and we know Sugar Shane Mosley has been involved in things in the past. That has nothing to do with me. My career has been 23 years and that’s the first time and the only time, that I heard some ridiculous allegations."
For much more Boxing news on Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal and other stars from the sport of Boxing, visit our newswire on the homepage now
By Johnny Benz
By now you are well aware of the melee between Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins at yesterday's press conference. A shoving match ensued after Pascal repeatedly demanded that Hopkins should take a blood test for illegal performance enhancing drugs before the two face off for their scheduled rematch on May 21.
In a recent interview with WFAN in New York with Boomer and Carton, Hopkins discussed yesterday's melee and the addressed the drug testing situation brought up by Pascal.
When asked what happened at the press conference in Montreal on Monday, Hopkins told the program: "He (Pascal) ambushed the whole press conference as far as talking about the fight. He was accusing me of my last fight that I shouldn’t have been as good, as fast, as strong, and I competed." Hopkins was refering to their first fight which happened late last year. It was ruled a draw.
Hopkins went on to add: "Whatever he was thinking he was desperate and he started saying ‘take a test, take a blood test, take this, take that.’"
Hopkins then went on to explain that his connection to "Sugar" Shane Mosley through mutual trainer is not a reason to point the finger at him.
"Then he started bringing up that I was a friend of Nazim Richardson, who has been my trainer for years, and Nazim Richardson trains Sugar Shane Mosley and we know Sugar Shane Mosley has been involved in things in the past. That has nothing to do with me. My career has been 23 years and that’s the first time and the only time, that I heard some ridiculous allegations."
For much more Boxing news on Bernard Hopkins, Jean Pascal and other stars from the sport of Boxing, visit our newswire on the homepage now
A Mayweather speaks out on Floyd Mayweather vs Paul Spadafora
By Johnny Benz
You've probably heard the rumors of a possible match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Paul Spadafora. In a recent interview conducted by Chris Robinson of the Examiner, Floyd's Uncle Jeff Mayweather spoke out on the rumors and criticized the potential matchup.
Jeff Mayweather stated: "To be honest, it's a meaningless fight. It means nothing to boxing. It means nothing to Floyd. It only means something to Paul Spadafora."
Jeff Mayweather went on to add: "If I walked into a room full of people, and I asked them 'Who is Paul Spadafora?', they would have to be complete boxing enthusiasts or boxing writers to know who he is. He brings nothing to the table other than a video that was ten years old."
By Johnny Benz
You've probably heard the rumors of a possible match between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Paul Spadafora. In a recent interview conducted by Chris Robinson of the Examiner, Floyd's Uncle Jeff Mayweather spoke out on the rumors and criticized the potential matchup.
Jeff Mayweather stated: "To be honest, it's a meaningless fight. It means nothing to boxing. It means nothing to Floyd. It only means something to Paul Spadafora."
Jeff Mayweather went on to add: "If I walked into a room full of people, and I asked them 'Who is Paul Spadafora?', they would have to be complete boxing enthusiasts or boxing writers to know who he is. He brings nothing to the table other than a video that was ten years old."
Floyd Mayweather on the "Ducking" Manny Pacquiao Question
By Johnny Benz
What does Floyd Mayweather Jr. think of the Boxing fans who feel he is ducking a fight with Manny Pacquiao? The answer... He believes everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
In a recent interview conducted by Chris Fedor for sportsradiointerviews.com, Mayweather was asked What he'd say to the folks who think he is ducking Manny Pacquiao?
Mayweather responded by stating: "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion."
Mayweather went on to add "When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
For much more Boxing news on Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and other stars from the sport of Boxing, visit our newswire on the homepage now
By Johnny Benz
What does Floyd Mayweather Jr. think of the Boxing fans who feel he is ducking a fight with Manny Pacquiao? The answer... He believes everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
In a recent interview conducted by Chris Fedor for sportsradiointerviews.com, Mayweather was asked What he'd say to the folks who think he is ducking Manny Pacquiao?
Mayweather responded by stating: "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion."
Mayweather went on to add "When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
For much more Boxing news on Floyd "Money" Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao, and other stars from the sport of Boxing, visit our newswire on the homepage now
Mayweather gambles and laments American support while Pacquiao stays active
BY Scott Heritage
Although he has been out of the ring for close to a year now, Floyd Mayweather Jr. chose last weekend to give an interview to the Afternoon Salon ESPN radio show, revealing what he's been spending his time doing, why he still won't fight Manny Pacquiao and to generally complain that as an American he should have more support from his countrymen.
As usual Mayweather avoided questions he didn't like the sound of, and as usual, the interviewers granted access weren't going to push him with any hard questions.
He wasn't asked why or whether he demanded $100 million dollars to fight Manny Pacquiao in South Africa. He wasn't asked when commenting yet again on drug testing procedure, why $100 million would have made some kind of difference. He wasn't asked why, if not Pacquiao, he doesn't fight someone else, Sergio Martinez for example. He also wasn't asked whether the recent rumors that he is in negotiations to fight Paul Spadafora are true.
(It should be noted that Jeff Mayweather, contrary to remarks from Spadafora's promoter, has denied that any talks are taking place)
What Mayweather did talk about at length was his habit of betting on sports, which he says he indulges every day, and why he doesn't think he's getting enough support from his fellow Americans.
“The thing is this I’m an American citizen and I represent this country with the red, white, and blue. The only thing I want is the people in my country to stand behind me. I’m in my own country and I have a lot of people against me. Our country is a great country, it’s a clean country, and all I ask him to do is take the test, that’s it. He takes the test and we got a fight.”
As far as American athletes go, Mayweather is certainly not supported as widely as those in other sports tend to be.
One of the main reasons however is because of his generally poor relationship with the media.
The boxing media tends to view him negatively because he could be doing so much more with the talent that he has.
The mainstream media doesn't pay him as much attention as they might because of all the negative things associated with him; the alleged assaults on women, the petty run-ins with security guards, the steroid accusations against fellow fighters.
In neither case has Mayweather strived to improve this situation.
Oddly Mayweather himself then touched on another major reason he isn't more well liked in his own country.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
The fans who pay to watch Mayweather's fights and have indirectly given him every dollar he has ever made aren't going to be paying his bills after he retires? An puzzling stance to take to say the least.
Photos: Yuriorkis Gamboa finishes Jorge Solis in four
Mayweather's chief rival Manny Pacquiao by comparison knows that when he fights, he fights for Filipino people everywhere, that he gives hope to all those who didn't make it out of the situation he himself was in when he was younger.
Mayweather fights for himself first and foremost, and aside from handing out turkeys at thanksgiving, a point he mentions a lot more often than necessary, doesn't seem to be motivated to action by his long suffering fans.
Even a fight between the pair notwithstanding, the fact that Pacquiao is an active fighter goes a long way towards his continued support.
Currently Pacquiao fights twice per year, regular as clockwork. Since 2007 Mayweather has fought twice, and it isn't ever clear to fans when he will next take to the ring.
On top of everything else though, the fact that Mayweather generates more U.S pay per view sales than any other fighter in the world today including Pacquiao would seem to suggest that he does have support.
Boxing is still in some respects a fringe sport in the United States at the moment having been without a real heavyweight star since the 90's, and generating well over a million pay per view buys is hardly the mark of a fighter who isn't still popular, despite what often look like his best efforts to the contrary.
Jose Santiago, Pitt: "Floyd is a nice guy in person but his egomaniac persona just turns people off and until he drops it and is just himself he won't get big support"
James Shipton, Harrisburg: "Even Spadafora would be something, I'm a Mayweather fan and all we've had for the last year is bad news. Getting arrested and bragging about sports betting isn't what professional athletes who represent their entire sport should be doing"
BY Scott Heritage
Although he has been out of the ring for close to a year now, Floyd Mayweather Jr. chose last weekend to give an interview to the Afternoon Salon ESPN radio show, revealing what he's been spending his time doing, why he still won't fight Manny Pacquiao and to generally complain that as an American he should have more support from his countrymen.
As usual Mayweather avoided questions he didn't like the sound of, and as usual, the interviewers granted access weren't going to push him with any hard questions.
He wasn't asked why or whether he demanded $100 million dollars to fight Manny Pacquiao in South Africa. He wasn't asked when commenting yet again on drug testing procedure, why $100 million would have made some kind of difference. He wasn't asked why, if not Pacquiao, he doesn't fight someone else, Sergio Martinez for example. He also wasn't asked whether the recent rumors that he is in negotiations to fight Paul Spadafora are true.
(It should be noted that Jeff Mayweather, contrary to remarks from Spadafora's promoter, has denied that any talks are taking place)
What Mayweather did talk about at length was his habit of betting on sports, which he says he indulges every day, and why he doesn't think he's getting enough support from his fellow Americans.
“The thing is this I’m an American citizen and I represent this country with the red, white, and blue. The only thing I want is the people in my country to stand behind me. I’m in my own country and I have a lot of people against me. Our country is a great country, it’s a clean country, and all I ask him to do is take the test, that’s it. He takes the test and we got a fight.”
As far as American athletes go, Mayweather is certainly not supported as widely as those in other sports tend to be.
One of the main reasons however is because of his generally poor relationship with the media.
The boxing media tends to view him negatively because he could be doing so much more with the talent that he has.
The mainstream media doesn't pay him as much attention as they might because of all the negative things associated with him; the alleged assaults on women, the petty run-ins with security guards, the steroid accusations against fellow fighters.
In neither case has Mayweather strived to improve this situation.
Oddly Mayweather himself then touched on another major reason he isn't more well liked in his own country.
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
The fans who pay to watch Mayweather's fights and have indirectly given him every dollar he has ever made aren't going to be paying his bills after he retires? An puzzling stance to take to say the least.
Photos: Yuriorkis Gamboa finishes Jorge Solis in four
Mayweather's chief rival Manny Pacquiao by comparison knows that when he fights, he fights for Filipino people everywhere, that he gives hope to all those who didn't make it out of the situation he himself was in when he was younger.
Mayweather fights for himself first and foremost, and aside from handing out turkeys at thanksgiving, a point he mentions a lot more often than necessary, doesn't seem to be motivated to action by his long suffering fans.
Even a fight between the pair notwithstanding, the fact that Pacquiao is an active fighter goes a long way towards his continued support.
Currently Pacquiao fights twice per year, regular as clockwork. Since 2007 Mayweather has fought twice, and it isn't ever clear to fans when he will next take to the ring.
On top of everything else though, the fact that Mayweather generates more U.S pay per view sales than any other fighter in the world today including Pacquiao would seem to suggest that he does have support.
Boxing is still in some respects a fringe sport in the United States at the moment having been without a real heavyweight star since the 90's, and generating well over a million pay per view buys is hardly the mark of a fighter who isn't still popular, despite what often look like his best efforts to the contrary.
Jose Santiago, Pitt: "Floyd is a nice guy in person but his egomaniac persona just turns people off and until he drops it and is just himself he won't get big support"
James Shipton, Harrisburg: "Even Spadafora would be something, I'm a Mayweather fan and all we've had for the last year is bad news. Getting arrested and bragging about sports betting isn't what professional athletes who represent their entire sport should be doing"
HBO’s Ring Life Features Berto
by Rick Brown
WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto of Winter Haven is being featured in HBO Sports digital series Ring Life. The feature will basically introduce Berto to the world, including his relief efforts in his parents’ homeland of Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake.
Ring Life will be available across HBO digital media platforms, including HBO.com, HBO’s YouTube Channel, iPad and IPhone applications and as free podcasts via Apple’s ITunes music store. It can also be seen on myspace.com/hbo and dailymotion.com/hbo as well as HBO On Demand to subscribers.
Berto will take on Victor Ortiz on April 16 on HBO’s World Championship Boxing
by Rick Brown
WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto of Winter Haven is being featured in HBO Sports digital series Ring Life. The feature will basically introduce Berto to the world, including his relief efforts in his parents’ homeland of Haiti, following the 2010 earthquake.
Ring Life will be available across HBO digital media platforms, including HBO.com, HBO’s YouTube Channel, iPad and IPhone applications and as free podcasts via Apple’s ITunes music store. It can also be seen on myspace.com/hbo and dailymotion.com/hbo as well as HBO On Demand to subscribers.
Berto will take on Victor Ortiz on April 16 on HBO’s World Championship Boxing
ould you pay to watch Tom Zbikowski fight?
After beating some dude named Caleb Grummet on Saturday night, Tom Zbikowski, who is now 3-0 in his professional boxing career, was asked if he wanted to box in Baltimore. "I'll do whatever I can to get a fight there," the Ravens safety said.
According to his promoter, Bob Arum, it is unlikely that will Zbikowski be able to bring his act -- which has been no novelty -- to Baltimore this offseason, as much as a couple of local venues would love to host one of his matches.
But hypothetically speaking, let's say that the Zbikowski camp is able to set something up here this summer, whether it's at M&T Bank Stadium, 1st Mariner Arena or in a parking lot somewhere.
You tell me: Would you pay to watch Zbikowski fight in person, and how much would you be willing to spend for a ticket?
After beating some dude named Caleb Grummet on Saturday night, Tom Zbikowski, who is now 3-0 in his professional boxing career, was asked if he wanted to box in Baltimore. "I'll do whatever I can to get a fight there," the Ravens safety said.
According to his promoter, Bob Arum, it is unlikely that will Zbikowski be able to bring his act -- which has been no novelty -- to Baltimore this offseason, as much as a couple of local venues would love to host one of his matches.
But hypothetically speaking, let's say that the Zbikowski camp is able to set something up here this summer, whether it's at M&T Bank Stadium, 1st Mariner Arena or in a parking lot somewhere.
You tell me: Would you pay to watch Zbikowski fight in person, and how much would you be willing to spend for a ticket?
Tszyu to train Lebedev
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
Former WBC/IBF/WBA jr welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu will be training former WBO cruiserweight challenger Denis Lebedev for his May 22nd twelve round bout against Roy Jones Jr at the Sport Complex Krylatskoe in Moscow, Russia. Lebedev is coming off a split twelve round decision loss to Marco Huck who defeated him in a December WBO world title bout. Tszyu told Fightnews “I want to help Denis Lebedev in this fight by showing him how to think correctly in the ring. Roy Jones Jr is a good friend of mine whom I respect. This is only business in the boxing ring.”
Lebedev holds impressive stoppage wins over Enzo Maccarinelli in three rounds in 2009 and Alexander Alexeev in two rounds in 2010. Roy Jones was stopped in round one by Danny “The Green Machine” Green in 2009 in an IBO world title bout and dropped a twelve round decision to Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins in 2010.
By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing
Former WBC/IBF/WBA jr welterweight champion Kostya Tszyu will be training former WBO cruiserweight challenger Denis Lebedev for his May 22nd twelve round bout against Roy Jones Jr at the Sport Complex Krylatskoe in Moscow, Russia. Lebedev is coming off a split twelve round decision loss to Marco Huck who defeated him in a December WBO world title bout. Tszyu told Fightnews “I want to help Denis Lebedev in this fight by showing him how to think correctly in the ring. Roy Jones Jr is a good friend of mine whom I respect. This is only business in the boxing ring.”
Lebedev holds impressive stoppage wins over Enzo Maccarinelli in three rounds in 2009 and Alexander Alexeev in two rounds in 2010. Roy Jones was stopped in round one by Danny “The Green Machine” Green in 2009 in an IBO world title bout and dropped a twelve round decision to Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins in 2010.
Floyd Mayweather on Manny Pacquiao: “He takes the test, we got a fight
March 28, 2011 – 10:50 am by Chris Fedor, sportsradiointerviews.com
They don’t call him “Money” for nothing. Now that Floyd Mayweather doesn’t have very much going on in terms of boxing, he’s found another way to spend his time and make money at the same time. Mayweather has turned to gambling on sporting events. Mayweather recently bet on the Chicago Bulls and posted on his Twitter account a picture of his betting slip that showed he won over $37,000.
Nice chunk of change just based on one night of betting. However nothing close to what he could make if he finally steps inside the ring with Manny Pacquiao in a fight that every boxing fan wants to see. Since that is clearly not happening any time soon, Mayweather will just have to settle on betting on sporting events. It’s working pretty well right now.
Floyd Mayweather joined ESPN Chicago with the Afternoon Saloon to talk about his bet that he made on the Bulls, what is the most he has won on a bet, how often he bets on sporting events, whether or not he is going to fight Manny Pacquiao, and answers his critics that believe he is “ducking” Manny Pacquiao.
How much money is the most he has won in a bet:
“In a week? Or in one bet? Probably $560,000 to $700,000. (Host: Do you remember what it was or remember the game?) I know the last big, big bet that I made, one of the largest bet was the New England Patriots. I think it was against the San Diego Chargers. I bet them for the money line of $500,000 and it brought back $560,000.”
On why he bet so much on the Bulls:
“At first I was going to bet $100,000 on the first half, but I happened to be asleep because the Atlanta Hawks happened to be on a slump. At this particular time, what’s going on in the NBA right now, Derrick Rose is the leading MVP candidate in the NBA right now I truly believe. I believe in his skills. He’s an amazing player and that’s one of the players you can bet on. If the team can stay 100 percent, they have a good chance to get to the Finals facing probably the Heat in the East. Then in the West this year I think it’s either going to be the Spurs or the Lakers.”
How often he bets on sporting events:
“Every day. You have to find one that you truly believe in and truly feel you’ve got the ups and that’s the one that you load up on.”
On a potential Manny Pacquiao fight:
“The thing is this I’m an American citizen and I represent this country with the red, white, and blue. The only thing I want is the people in my country to stand behind me. I’m in my own country and I have a lot of people against me. Our country is a great country, it’s a clean country, and all I ask him to do is take the test, that’s it. He takes the test and we got a fight.”
What he would say to the people that believe he is “ducking” Manny Pacquiao:
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
If he realizes a fight against Pacquiao could potentially save boxing:
“My job is to keep my family close and take care of my family. That’s my job. My job is not to fight for everybody else, my job is to fight for Floyd Mayweather. You don’t go to work for the radio station for everybody else, you go to work to do what you do because that’s what you like to do. When it’s time to hang it up or give it up that’s what you do.”
More on Pacquiao:
“You guys must realize this about Pacquiao, that’s just a media creation. That’s somebody who just came around. For someone to beat me would be abnormal, for someone to be him is normal because he has already been beaten three times and knocked out twice. It’s nothing new.”
March 28, 2011 – 10:50 am by Chris Fedor, sportsradiointerviews.com
They don’t call him “Money” for nothing. Now that Floyd Mayweather doesn’t have very much going on in terms of boxing, he’s found another way to spend his time and make money at the same time. Mayweather has turned to gambling on sporting events. Mayweather recently bet on the Chicago Bulls and posted on his Twitter account a picture of his betting slip that showed he won over $37,000.
Nice chunk of change just based on one night of betting. However nothing close to what he could make if he finally steps inside the ring with Manny Pacquiao in a fight that every boxing fan wants to see. Since that is clearly not happening any time soon, Mayweather will just have to settle on betting on sporting events. It’s working pretty well right now.
Floyd Mayweather joined ESPN Chicago with the Afternoon Saloon to talk about his bet that he made on the Bulls, what is the most he has won on a bet, how often he bets on sporting events, whether or not he is going to fight Manny Pacquiao, and answers his critics that believe he is “ducking” Manny Pacquiao.
How much money is the most he has won in a bet:
“In a week? Or in one bet? Probably $560,000 to $700,000. (Host: Do you remember what it was or remember the game?) I know the last big, big bet that I made, one of the largest bet was the New England Patriots. I think it was against the San Diego Chargers. I bet them for the money line of $500,000 and it brought back $560,000.”
On why he bet so much on the Bulls:
“At first I was going to bet $100,000 on the first half, but I happened to be asleep because the Atlanta Hawks happened to be on a slump. At this particular time, what’s going on in the NBA right now, Derrick Rose is the leading MVP candidate in the NBA right now I truly believe. I believe in his skills. He’s an amazing player and that’s one of the players you can bet on. If the team can stay 100 percent, they have a good chance to get to the Finals facing probably the Heat in the East. Then in the West this year I think it’s either going to be the Spurs or the Lakers.”
How often he bets on sporting events:
“Every day. You have to find one that you truly believe in and truly feel you’ve got the ups and that’s the one that you load up on.”
On a potential Manny Pacquiao fight:
“The thing is this I’m an American citizen and I represent this country with the red, white, and blue. The only thing I want is the people in my country to stand behind me. I’m in my own country and I have a lot of people against me. Our country is a great country, it’s a clean country, and all I ask him to do is take the test, that’s it. He takes the test and we got a fight.”
What he would say to the people that believe he is “ducking” Manny Pacquiao:
“Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Floyd Mayweather goes out and makes money for Floyd Mayweather. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion. When it’s all said and done and my career is over, the fans don’t come pay my bills, the fans don’t put my kids through college, and the fans don’t put my kids through private school, I do. Through my hard work.”
If he realizes a fight against Pacquiao could potentially save boxing:
“My job is to keep my family close and take care of my family. That’s my job. My job is not to fight for everybody else, my job is to fight for Floyd Mayweather. You don’t go to work for the radio station for everybody else, you go to work to do what you do because that’s what you like to do. When it’s time to hang it up or give it up that’s what you do.”
More on Pacquiao:
“You guys must realize this about Pacquiao, that’s just a media creation. That’s somebody who just came around. For someone to beat me would be abnormal, for someone to be him is normal because he has already been beaten three times and knocked out twice. It’s nothing new.”
Nevada Legislature committee hears battered boxer bill
By Paul Harasim
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Mar. 29, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Updated: Mar. 29, 2011 | 6:53 a.m.
Z "The Dream" Gorres, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a November 2009 fight at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues that left him partially paralyzed, rang up medical expenses of nearly $600,000 during two months of intensive care at University Medical Center.
Because the health insurance the 27-year-old father of four carried into the ring covered only $50,000 of the bill, taxpayers were left to pick up most of the tab run up at Southern Nevada's county hospital.
On Monday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation that would increase the required amount of health insurance on fighters when they're competing in Nevada. The committee heard televised testimony from the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, where a law professor from the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; a former UNLV student; and the university's former boxing coach spoke on behalf of the battered boxer bill.
The legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Harvey J. Munford, D-Las Vegas, has as its centerpiece a proposed fund to help pay for injuries to retired fighters and mixed martial arts contestants.
Munford's proposal would raise an existing surcharge on tickets to live professional fights from $1 to $2 per ticket for fights that gross more than $500,000. It would raise per-ticket fees from 50 cents to $1 for fights grossing less than $500,000.
Testifying on behalf of an amendment proposed by Assemblyman Tick Seger*blom, D-Las Vegas, law school professor Robert Correales said some money from the increased surcharge would be used to increase the health insurance for boxers fighting in Nevada to $200,000.
While battered boxers and health insurance would receive funding out of the fees, so would organizations that promote amateur contests, which is done now through the current surcharge.
Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, testified against the bill, arguing that it is unrealistic.
He said it would be practically impossible to prove that retired boxers who were suffering from assorted conditions were hurt in Nevada.
"They fight all over the world," he said.
Both former UNLV boxing coach Frank Slaughter and Boyd Law School graduate Jayme Martinez said it was important that boxers have more health insurance so that if they get badly hurt, taxpayers don't have to pick up the bill.
Under the current situation, boxing promoters pay a premium of about $3,100 for health insurance to cover a 10-bout boxing card with 20 fighters. Mixed martial arts promoters pay a $6,300 premium for the same number of bouts and fighters. Each fighter can get up to $50,000 each to pay for injuries under those insurance plans. There is a $500 deductible.
Injuries such as those suffered by Gorres, Kizer said, almost never happen.
From 1995 to 2005, 10 fighters sustained career-ending brain injuries in Nevada, with two boxers, Leavander Johnson and Martin Sanchez Jr., both dying from subdural hematomas, the same brain injury Gorres sustained.
Because of federal privacy laws, Correales said UMC officials are unable to release the medical records of fighters to whom they gave care. "I know there's a lot more than 10 who have been badly hurt," he said after the hearing.
According to a spokeswoman for Cole Insurance in Dallas, a firm that has written insurance for fights in Las Vegas, it is unknown how much it would cost to have the coverage jump to $200,000 per fighter.
"It would be way more," she said. "But we'd have to calculate it."
Kizer said increased costs can only hurt the chances of bringing more fights to Las Vegas. He did say, however, that the athletic commission favors coverage for catastrophic injuries. He said he does not believe that the increased surcharge could cover injuries to retired boxers, increased health insurance and promotion of amateur fights.
Pat Lundvall, chairwoman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, told the Review-Journal in 2010 that she envisioned a monetary pool for catastrophic injuries being funded through a small percentage of both ticket sales and pay-per-view sales in Nevada.
"We still got time to put this together," Correales said, adding that it may be wise for committee members to talk more about a pool for catastrophes rather than increased insurance coverage for everybody who enters the ring.
Segerblom said he and Munford will discuss the proposed bill with the athletic commission before any legislative action is taken.
By Paul Harasim
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Mar. 29, 2011 | 2:01 a.m.
Updated: Mar. 29, 2011 | 6:53 a.m.
Z "The Dream" Gorres, who suffered a traumatic brain injury in a November 2009 fight at Mandalay Bay's House of Blues that left him partially paralyzed, rang up medical expenses of nearly $600,000 during two months of intensive care at University Medical Center.
Because the health insurance the 27-year-old father of four carried into the ring covered only $50,000 of the bill, taxpayers were left to pick up most of the tab run up at Southern Nevada's county hospital.
On Monday, the Assembly Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation that would increase the required amount of health insurance on fighters when they're competing in Nevada. The committee heard televised testimony from the Sawyer Building in Las Vegas, where a law professor from the Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; a former UNLV student; and the university's former boxing coach spoke on behalf of the battered boxer bill.
The legislation, introduced by Assemblyman Harvey J. Munford, D-Las Vegas, has as its centerpiece a proposed fund to help pay for injuries to retired fighters and mixed martial arts contestants.
Munford's proposal would raise an existing surcharge on tickets to live professional fights from $1 to $2 per ticket for fights that gross more than $500,000. It would raise per-ticket fees from 50 cents to $1 for fights grossing less than $500,000.
Testifying on behalf of an amendment proposed by Assemblyman Tick Seger*blom, D-Las Vegas, law school professor Robert Correales said some money from the increased surcharge would be used to increase the health insurance for boxers fighting in Nevada to $200,000.
While battered boxers and health insurance would receive funding out of the fees, so would organizations that promote amateur contests, which is done now through the current surcharge.
Keith Kizer, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, testified against the bill, arguing that it is unrealistic.
He said it would be practically impossible to prove that retired boxers who were suffering from assorted conditions were hurt in Nevada.
"They fight all over the world," he said.
Both former UNLV boxing coach Frank Slaughter and Boyd Law School graduate Jayme Martinez said it was important that boxers have more health insurance so that if they get badly hurt, taxpayers don't have to pick up the bill.
Under the current situation, boxing promoters pay a premium of about $3,100 for health insurance to cover a 10-bout boxing card with 20 fighters. Mixed martial arts promoters pay a $6,300 premium for the same number of bouts and fighters. Each fighter can get up to $50,000 each to pay for injuries under those insurance plans. There is a $500 deductible.
Injuries such as those suffered by Gorres, Kizer said, almost never happen.
From 1995 to 2005, 10 fighters sustained career-ending brain injuries in Nevada, with two boxers, Leavander Johnson and Martin Sanchez Jr., both dying from subdural hematomas, the same brain injury Gorres sustained.
Because of federal privacy laws, Correales said UMC officials are unable to release the medical records of fighters to whom they gave care. "I know there's a lot more than 10 who have been badly hurt," he said after the hearing.
According to a spokeswoman for Cole Insurance in Dallas, a firm that has written insurance for fights in Las Vegas, it is unknown how much it would cost to have the coverage jump to $200,000 per fighter.
"It would be way more," she said. "But we'd have to calculate it."
Kizer said increased costs can only hurt the chances of bringing more fights to Las Vegas. He did say, however, that the athletic commission favors coverage for catastrophic injuries. He said he does not believe that the increased surcharge could cover injuries to retired boxers, increased health insurance and promotion of amateur fights.
Pat Lundvall, chairwoman of the Nevada Athletic Commission, told the Review-Journal in 2010 that she envisioned a monetary pool for catastrophic injuries being funded through a small percentage of both ticket sales and pay-per-view sales in Nevada.
"We still got time to put this together," Correales said, adding that it may be wise for committee members to talk more about a pool for catastrophes rather than increased insurance coverage for everybody who enters the ring.
Segerblom said he and Munford will discuss the proposed bill with the athletic commission before any legislative action is taken.
Kirkland plans comeback fight, future without Austin's Wolfe
othing is forever.
Not even a rock-solid boxing marriage forged over the course of nearly two decades.
For James Kirkland and Ann Wolfe, theirs was a relationship built on toughness. Wolfe, who used the sport to escape despair and homelessness, found a boxing soulmate in Kirkland, who wandered into her East Austin gym as a 9-year-old and morphed into one of the world's most promising fighters over the span of 16 years.
The unlikely pairing — you see very few women training male title contenders these days — resulted in a 25-0 record and a growing cult following in boxing circles. Wolfe, with her tough-minded approach, and Kirkland, with his reckless fighting style, made for good theater. HBO's "Real Sports" even ventured to Austin two years ago to do a story on their training techniques.
Then Kirkland went to prison, and things changed.
When I interviewed Wolfe a few weeks ago, she said she hadn't spoken to Kirkland, 27, in more than a year while he was in prison. Kirkland, who was no stranger to the legal system — he already had served jail time for his role in a 2003 armed robbery — made an inexplicably stupid decision in 2009 when he violated his parole by purchasing a Glock .40 pistol at a gun show, a week after he claimed he was robbed in East Austin.
The $525 purchase cost him a $230,000 payday against a very beatable opponent named Michael Walker and, even worse, his freedom. He spent 18 months in prison, and somewhere along the way, his relationship with Wolfe deteriorated.
Upon his release last September, Kirkland was turned over to a halfway house. Having severed ties with Wolfe, he spent time training at Richard Lord's gym. And he got into trouble again, going to jail on two occasions. With an already damaged career on the verge of being over, Kirkland's advisers decided to get him out of Austin. He moved to Las Vegas earlier this month.
The advisers are Cameron Dunkin, who hired new trainer Kenny Adams, and San Antonio-based attorney Michael Miller, who had to petition Kirkland's federal and state probation officers for permission to relocate.
"He had to move," Miller said. "He knew if we could get him out of the element and out of East Austin, it would be the best thing for him. The ultimate job is to help James progress and be a productive person. And if he becomes a better fighter along the way, then that will be great as well."
Wolfe introduced her fighter to Dunkin and Miller years ago, but she is no longer part of Team Kirkland, even though she will still earn 7.5 percent of his future fight purses.
Wolfe isn't happy about not training a fighter she built from the ground up, but it's not the first time a boxer has left his original trainer for another. It's a part of the business she understands.
"If a manager that I brought you to comes between us, what does that tell you?" Wolfe said. "I'm trying to make a man out of him. You have to love the person more than you love the fighter, and that's where I am with James."
These days, Kirkland lives with two other boxers in a three-bedroom apartment three miles down the road from Dunkin, who checks in on him daily. He is complimentary of Wolfe's contribution to his career, but the close working relationship they once shared appears to be in the past.
"He would have won a world title with Ann," Dunkin said. "She had him on the right track. But you always wondered when you were going to get that call from Austin. Out here he's hanging out at Kenny's house or at the gym. This is Vegas, but he doesn't care about boozing or gambling. It was always the hanging out with the boys that got him in trouble."
The plan is to keep Kirkland in the ring as much as possible. He returned to the ring March 11 with a 34-second destruction of Ahsandi Gibbs in Anaheim, Calif. Not satisfied with the quick meal, Kirkland asked if he could fight again the same night. He had to settle for a second-round knockout of Jhon Berrio 13 days later.
Now Kirkland spends his days training and hanging out with other Dunkin-managed fighters like WBA lightweight champ Brandon Rios and WBC junior welterweight titleist Timothy Bradley. It's an environment designed to eliminate distractions while speeding up his ascension to a world title. He's the WBA fourth-ranked middleweight.
"I have a desire for boxing that's unbelievable," he said. "I know I'm going to be a world champion. It's the drive, the timing, the right decisions. I'm already a true champion because I have overcome so many things."
Kirkland has the physical goods to be a champion, and his new surroundings should help him. Whether or not he can stay out of his own way remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the woman who molded him into a wrecking machine finds herself on the outside.
"You will never hear me say anything bad about James,'' Wolfe said. "I want the best for him. I hope he wins a world championship."
othing is forever.
Not even a rock-solid boxing marriage forged over the course of nearly two decades.
For James Kirkland and Ann Wolfe, theirs was a relationship built on toughness. Wolfe, who used the sport to escape despair and homelessness, found a boxing soulmate in Kirkland, who wandered into her East Austin gym as a 9-year-old and morphed into one of the world's most promising fighters over the span of 16 years.
The unlikely pairing — you see very few women training male title contenders these days — resulted in a 25-0 record and a growing cult following in boxing circles. Wolfe, with her tough-minded approach, and Kirkland, with his reckless fighting style, made for good theater. HBO's "Real Sports" even ventured to Austin two years ago to do a story on their training techniques.
Then Kirkland went to prison, and things changed.
When I interviewed Wolfe a few weeks ago, she said she hadn't spoken to Kirkland, 27, in more than a year while he was in prison. Kirkland, who was no stranger to the legal system — he already had served jail time for his role in a 2003 armed robbery — made an inexplicably stupid decision in 2009 when he violated his parole by purchasing a Glock .40 pistol at a gun show, a week after he claimed he was robbed in East Austin.
The $525 purchase cost him a $230,000 payday against a very beatable opponent named Michael Walker and, even worse, his freedom. He spent 18 months in prison, and somewhere along the way, his relationship with Wolfe deteriorated.
Upon his release last September, Kirkland was turned over to a halfway house. Having severed ties with Wolfe, he spent time training at Richard Lord's gym. And he got into trouble again, going to jail on two occasions. With an already damaged career on the verge of being over, Kirkland's advisers decided to get him out of Austin. He moved to Las Vegas earlier this month.
The advisers are Cameron Dunkin, who hired new trainer Kenny Adams, and San Antonio-based attorney Michael Miller, who had to petition Kirkland's federal and state probation officers for permission to relocate.
"He had to move," Miller said. "He knew if we could get him out of the element and out of East Austin, it would be the best thing for him. The ultimate job is to help James progress and be a productive person. And if he becomes a better fighter along the way, then that will be great as well."
Wolfe introduced her fighter to Dunkin and Miller years ago, but she is no longer part of Team Kirkland, even though she will still earn 7.5 percent of his future fight purses.
Wolfe isn't happy about not training a fighter she built from the ground up, but it's not the first time a boxer has left his original trainer for another. It's a part of the business she understands.
"If a manager that I brought you to comes between us, what does that tell you?" Wolfe said. "I'm trying to make a man out of him. You have to love the person more than you love the fighter, and that's where I am with James."
These days, Kirkland lives with two other boxers in a three-bedroom apartment three miles down the road from Dunkin, who checks in on him daily. He is complimentary of Wolfe's contribution to his career, but the close working relationship they once shared appears to be in the past.
"He would have won a world title with Ann," Dunkin said. "She had him on the right track. But you always wondered when you were going to get that call from Austin. Out here he's hanging out at Kenny's house or at the gym. This is Vegas, but he doesn't care about boozing or gambling. It was always the hanging out with the boys that got him in trouble."
The plan is to keep Kirkland in the ring as much as possible. He returned to the ring March 11 with a 34-second destruction of Ahsandi Gibbs in Anaheim, Calif. Not satisfied with the quick meal, Kirkland asked if he could fight again the same night. He had to settle for a second-round knockout of Jhon Berrio 13 days later.
Now Kirkland spends his days training and hanging out with other Dunkin-managed fighters like WBA lightweight champ Brandon Rios and WBC junior welterweight titleist Timothy Bradley. It's an environment designed to eliminate distractions while speeding up his ascension to a world title. He's the WBA fourth-ranked middleweight.
"I have a desire for boxing that's unbelievable," he said. "I know I'm going to be a world champion. It's the drive, the timing, the right decisions. I'm already a true champion because I have overcome so many things."
Kirkland has the physical goods to be a champion, and his new surroundings should help him. Whether or not he can stay out of his own way remains to be seen. Meanwhile, the woman who molded him into a wrecking machine finds herself on the outside.
"You will never hear me say anything bad about James,'' Wolfe said. "I want the best for him. I hope he wins a world championship."