Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Manny Pacquiao: “I consider this one of my toughest opponents because Mosley is not t

by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani - This week’s 119th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with the reigning Pound-for-Pound King Manny Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38 KOs) who is scheduled to face former three division champion Sugar Shane Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs) on May 7 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Pacquiao spoke about his upcoming fight with Mosley and other aspects of his career and the current boxing landscape. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:

JENNA J: We are proud to introduce a man who really doesn’t need any introduction at all. He is an eight division world champion. He is the one and only Manny “Pac-Man” Pacquiao! Hey Manny! Are you on the line with us right now?

MANNY PACQUIAO: Yeah, hi.

JENNA: Well you’re a man who’s always in high demand. How’s your day been going so far?

PACQUIAO: Good, good, good! I just finished my training.

JENNA: Excellent. Well you have a very big fight against Sugar Shane Mosley on May 7. How have your preparations been going?

PACQUIAO: I’m excited for the fight and my preparation is good. You know my training is good and I’m excited.

JENNA: Now Shane Mosley is a terrific puncher. Do you believe he is the most dangerous fighter that you have ever been set to step in the ring with and do you think with so many people heavily favoring you that you can at all underestimate him?

PACQUIAO: Well I consider this one of my toughest opponents because Mosley is not that slow. He can move fast and he has good hand speed and foot speed and he’s a former pound-for-pound so I never underestimate Mosley.

JENNA: Alright now you’ll be defending your WBO welterweight belt for the second time. Do you think welterweight is your natural division?

PACQUIAO: Actually my natural division is 140. I’m weighing right now 143-144 without reducing and our without limited eating, but I can fight at 147.

JENNA: Now is Freddie Roach working on anything different in this camp to fight someone with the speed that Shane Mosley has?

PACQUIAO: Yeah, we’re focusing on speed and head movement side-to-side for this fight because we know Mosley is not that slow so that’s why we’ll apply some techniques that we can use in the fight.

JENNA: Okay well Manny, moving away from boxing for a second, back in February you actually had a chance to meet President Barack Obama. What was that whole experience like for you and what did you two guys talk about?

PACQUIAO: Well it was a big honor for me to meet with the President of the United States and to go to the White House. We just talked about the basketball thing and boxing. He’s a good guy. He’s nice.

JENNA: Alright now Manny, when your boxing career is over do you think you can have as big of an impact in the political arena as you did in the boxing arena?

PACQUIAO: I can tell you right now after my boxing career I’m going to focus on my political career because I love to serve people.

JENNA: Well Manny we’re on the phone with my Co-Host and Producer Geoff Ciani.

GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Manny, it’s a pleasure to speak with you?

PACQUIAO: Hi. How are you?

CIANI: I’m great, thanks. Manny, I wanted to ask you when you first made it big on the scene when you beat Barrera you were known as just a fighter with a big left hand but you also developed a strong right hand around the time of the second Morales fight. How did you go about making your right hand as good?

PACQUIAO: Yeah, that’s a good question. You know before I was only focusing on my left hand and I was wondering what I could do to improve my right hand.

CIANI: Okay, now the last guy to beat you is Morales and he has a fight coming up this weekend against Marcos Maidana. I was wondering what you think of that fight and I was also wondering what you think or Morales coming back?

PACQUIAO: Oh? He’s comeback? He’s comeback to fight?

CIANI: Yes, this will be his fourth comeback fight this weekend.

PACQUIAO: Oh! Good luck to him. I hope he can win.

CIANI: Now Manny most people know you as a professional boxer and a congressman but what are some of the other things you most enjoy doing?

PACQUIAO: Acting and playing basketball.

CIANI: Manny, because you are fighting Sugar Shane Mosley, people are bound to compare the way you performed against him with the way that Mayweather did. Do you feel any extra pressure to outdo Mayweather’s performance?

PACQUIAO: I’m not comparing my abilities to anybody, but I trained hard for this fight to make people happy and to give a good show May 7. I will do my best.

JENNA: Manny we just have a few more questions before we let you off the line. In this fight with Shane Mosley what things do you think he does in the ring that can pose you the biggest threat?

PACQUIAO: Well he’s throwing a lot of punches and he fights on his toes and it’s going to be an exciting fight.

JENNA: Okay Manny, people often wonder how long you can balance your boxing career with y our political obligations. In your honest opinion, how long do you think that you can continue to fight?

PACQUIAO: A couple of more years and then I will focus on serving the people.

JENNA: Speaking of the people, you have millions of fans from all around the world especially in the Philippines. Is there anything you want to say to those people?

PACQUIAO: I want to thank everybody. I want to thank all the fans, the boxing fans, and all of the different Filipino people and all who are supporting me. I just wanted to say thank you and I hope you still pray for me on May 7 and I would like to dedicate this fight to the Filipino people and all of the victims of the tsunami in Japan.

JENNA: Alright Manny, well it’s been fantastic finally having a chance to speak to you. I wish you all the best of luck in your upcoming fight on May 7.

PACQUIAO: Alright thank you, have a nice day.

CIANI: Thanks Manny. Good luck.

PACQUIAO: Alright thank you.

 

[heyzel]

Paulie Malignaggi: “I think Jose Miguel is sort of like a poor man’s Miguel Cotto”

by Geoffrey Ciani (Interviewed by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - This week’s 119th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) featured an exclusive interview with former junior welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi (28-4, 6 KOs) who is scheduled to face Jose Miguel Cotto (32-2-1, 24 KOs) this Saturday, April 9 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Malignaggi who now trains at the Wild Card Gym spoke about his upcoming fight, his career, and also touched on various aspects of the current boxing landscape. Here are some excerpts from that interview:

How he feels about his upcoming matchup this Saturday against Jose Miguel Cotto:

“I think it’s cool, man. It’s a logical next step in getting me up the latter getting back me back towards my climb up to the top of basically the boxing rankings so to speak. I think it gets me closer to a welterweight title shot which is obviously the eventual goal here being in the welterweight division.”

On scoring his first knockout in more than 7 years against Michael Lozada in his first fight at welterweight back in December:

“It was cool, it was a cool. It was mostly the opponent I think more than anything else. I felt good, though. I felt all the work in the Wild Card paid off. I feel good with my trainer Eric Brown, but it was also a situation where I fought the weakest opponent I’ve fought in years. I mean for the most part I’ve been fighting world class fighters the past five years and when I hadn’t been fighting world class fighters earlier in my career I was basically one-handed. So there was a reason I wasn’t stopping those kinds of guys. If you’re not on my level I’m going to stop you. Even if I don’t get you out of there with one shot, I mean if you just don’t belong in the ring with me you’re going to be stopped unless I have an injury. I was healthy. I felt good and I sort of just overwhelmed my opponent really more than anything else. Once I got going, it took a couple of rounds and stuff to get acclimated and warmed up. I hadn’t fought in seven months and I also had been out of the gym at first after the Khan fight for a few months. So it just felt good being back in the ring and getting a few rounds in and getting the stoppage.”

On whether he feels stronger and more comfortable now that he has moved up from 140 to 147:

“You know I just think it’s a case of when you get to a certain age you can’t punish your body the way you want to, the way you used to when you were younger. You just won’t recover in time. I was always able to do what I had to do to make weight no matter what I did, and to make the weight and still recover and be strong the next day come fight night. I just think as age came up, and I also think making the lighter weights for the Juan Diaz fights. I don’t know what it did man, but I think it just punished my body so much that it almost like shocked my body because for the Khan I had just all kinds of trouble making 140 pounds. I just felt like I didn’t recover the way that I wanted to. Not that I’m taking anything away from Khan. He’s a good fighter and he would have always been a difficult fight, but I just noticed that I just didn’t recover after the weigh-in the way that I wanted to. Also I knew that it was going to be my last fight at 140 whether I won or lost. I had already told me team that even if I had beaten Amir, before the fight I said if I win this fight I’m not fighting at this weight anymore, I couldn’t do it anymore to myself. So making 147 pounds I keep more energy. I feel good in the gym and I end up fighting at a lighter weight. When I was making 140 I was to the point where I was just taking all the good things I was doing in the gym away from myself because making weight was taking it away. Having said that, I think at 147 pounds I keep more of my energy up including having more spring and bounce in my legs which is what I need obviously. So in that way I feel good and I feel better fighting at 147 pounds.”

His views on Jose Miguel Cotto’s fighting style:

“Jose Miguel is also not a big welterweight so it’s kind of a logical next move after the Mike Lozada fight. I think Jose Miguel is sort of like a poor man’s Miguel Cotto. You know they have very similar styles. Obviously they came up together because they’re brothers, but I just feel like maybe he’s not as strong. He’s a little rougher around the edges than his brother. He’s not as polished so to speak. Obviously his brother is a three division world champion. He’s not a world champion at all, so obviously there’s a reason for that. Miguel’s probably a bit more polished and stuff, but you know I guess I’ll find out Saturday night. Like I said if Paulie Malignaggi is on any kind of level where I belong and where he belongs, Jose Miguel Cotto has to be disposed of and that’s the plan. Although I think he’s going to be ready, I don’t anticipate having any trouble with him.”

On what he is most looking forward to in this newest chapter of his career at welterweight:

“Just basically I think just enjoying it more. You know it’s been kind of stressing the last few years. I want to enjoy the last part of my career and I want to win a world title because I really, really didn’t enjoy being a world champion last time. There was so many issues going on and I didn’t look good the entire time. I’ve gone into it before, but I want to win a world title and actually be able to enjoy it because that’s supposed to be the best time of your career and I didn’t get to enjoy it. I was stressed as to why I wasn’t looking good and why I just could not put it together during those fights when I had the world title. I was to the point where I actually lost the Hatton fight. I think obviously I’ve gone into those things before as to why I believe that happened. I just wish I would have realized it sooner in my title run. So if I could have something out of the late part of my career, if I could really take something out of it, I would want to win a world title and enjoy the reign I had as a world champion for however long it lasted. Being world champion, besides the money, was probably the least enjoyable part of my career.”

On whether Amir Khan was better than he expected he would be:

“He wasn’t better than I expected. He was exactly what I thought he was. He’s a quick, sharp boxer who I knew I was going to have trouble controlling range with because he fights in that way as well in terms of him liking to control the range like I do, but he had the height on me. So I don’t think he surprised me as far as how good he was. I think I was expecting that kind of fighter. I just couldn’t hang at all. I mean I remember going back after round two and looking the round card girl and she’s only on round three and I’m like, ‘God, I got ten rounds of this to go? I’m dead already’. And I had had a really good camp. I trained really well for the fight and I was looking good in camp. It came down to I got down to making the weight and it totally, totally destroyed me. I’m not going to take anything away from Amir because Amir can still fight. But I’ll tell you one thing the fight would have been a much better fight. Whether I would have won it or lost it, you would have had a much better competitive fight last May between me and Khan had I not had such an issue with the weight. I’m not going to tell you at all I would have won it. I’m not going to tell you I would have lost it. I don’t know, but I did leave the ring feeling Khan was quality. There have been fights when I’ve left the ring that even if I’ve lost I didn’t think that was a quality opponent, but Amir wasn’t one of them. With Amir I left the ring still thinking he was quality, but just feeling like I didn’t give myself the best chance to win you know?”

Regarding whom he views as the best of the bunch in the 140 pound weight class:

“I think it’s between Bradley and Khan. I think Bradley and Khan is a fight everybody wants to see and I think they both do a lot of things well, and it’s just a matter of who’s going to be able to pull off their fight on fight night if they do get it on in the ring. I noticed Bradley is talented. He’s not the most talented guy, but he is talented but he also has this certain grit and determination to where he will not let a fight slip away. He will not let you beat him. So you’re going to also have to not let him outhustle you and be just as hungry as he is to win the fight. I noticed with Bradley a lot of the fights he wins, he wins them because he is hungrier than his opponent and he is willing to do more with his opponent. So I believe Amir is actually more talented than him, but is Amir going to match the hunger and tenacity that Bradley has? And that’s what makes the fight interesting in my eyes and I’m curious to see if that’s the case myself. As far as Zab and Alexander, they’re stolid fighters. They’re solid fighters. Zab is a New York guy so I’ve known him for a long time and it’s good to see a guy like that get himself back on top after a lot of people had written him off. He always possesses some kind of threat, some kind of danger because he has that veteran experience, and Alexander for the lack of heart that he showed he still has a lot of talent. So 140 pounds is still fun to watch, I’m just watching it as a fan now that I’m not involved.”

His views on the upcoming fight between Andre Berto and Victor Ortiz:

“Victor may beat Andre. That’s the kind of fight that sticks in my mind. I saw Andre was a 4 to 1 favorite, but I like that fight a lot. I think it’s really a tossup kind of fight. I’m leaning a little bit towards Andre, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Victor won the fight.”

On whether he believes Sugar Shane Mosley has a chance to beat Manny Pacquiao:

“I think Shane, people are writing him off a bit too much. He’s coming off of two lackluster performances, but you have to understand who they were up against. Now is Shane in his prime? No! He’s 40 years old. He’s definitely not in his prime, but Shane is a guy who’s still a dangerous threat #1. #2 he’s coming off fights where he’s not going to look good against the opponents he fought. He fought Floyd Mayweather who is essentially the best at taking away what you do and making you look basically like your hands are tied behind your back which he did to Shane at a certain point. He just took away what Shane did best, but Floyd is a master boxer and that’s what he specializes in. He’s a defensive fighter. He takes away what you do best more than anything else. Sergio Mora is a guy who I don’t believe it’s possible to look good against one way or another. He has a confusing style, he’s very awkward, he’s successful at what he does, he knows how to do things his way, and nobody looks good fighting Sergio Mora. You can’t tell me one guy who looked good fighting Sergio Mora. I mean Vernon Forrest in the rematch with Sergio beat him just with a jab. He basically kept it simple because he knew this guy was so complicated and so awkward to fight. So I don’t blame Shane for that performance either. Now yeah, Shane I’ll admit he is not in his prime, but at the same time Manny Pacquiao is a guy who is successful by running through you or running over you so to speak. You know and I don’t believe Shane Mosley is the kind of guy you could just run through that easily. Do you got to favor Pacquiao? Absolutely you got to favor Pacquiao! He’s a favorite in the fight right now and rightfully so based on what he’s been doing. But I don’t see Pacquiao as the kind of guy who takes anything away from you or scientifically beats you. Pacquiao just gets in there and runs right through you. He throws a lot of punches, he has an intense amount of energy, an intense style, and basically he runs through them. I don’t see that happening with Shane that easily. You got to kind of outthink Shane. You can’t just run through him. I don’t think he’s going to let you do that unless age has caught up to him that bad. Still, besides the Mayweather and Mora fights where they have styles that don’t make you look good, Shane is not going to let Manny just run right through him. You got top favor Manny but I think it’s a good fight. I think it’s a better fight than Marquez III. I think Pacquiao-Marquez III is a waste of time! Pacquiao has totally outgrown the weight class and Marquez is not on his level at this point anymore. He’s a talented fighter but at his own weight. I think Mosley is the most dangerous guy outside of Floyd Mayweather that Manny Pacquiao can face right now unless you expect Pacquiao to move up in weight again, which realistically how many weight classes do you want the guy to move up? I mean there are 17 weight classes in boxing and he’s been through 10 of them already.”

On how he expects his fight against Jose Miguel Cotto to play out:

“I expect to outbox him and I expect to impose my game plan on him. We’re working on a lot of good things. I’ve always had a lot of speed. One thing I noticed about the Wild Card Gym is it’s a very offensive minded gym and it kind of translates more into your style. I’ve always been a defensive minded fighter but I think the sparring and the work in the Wild Card kind of makes you become more offensive in and of itself. Unless I get a hand injury or something, you can expect to see me throw a lot of good combinations and outboxing Jose Cotto. I feel like I should have trouble with him. I think he’s going to come ready and I think he’s solid in his own right, but he’s not a guy I should have trouble with. I don’t expect to have trouble with him and I’m not even saying that disrespectfully. I just feel like I’m at a different level than Jose Cotto.”

 

[heyzel]

Maidana Wins the Fight, Morales wins the crowd

By Gabriel Montoya


Legends have a way of pulling out that one last great performance. Returning Mexican great Erik “El terrible” Morales did just that on Saturday night at the MGM Grand garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV as he headlined the Golden Boy Promotions “Action Heroes” HBP PPV against Argentinean power puncher Marcos Maidana. With zero vision in his right eye, out of his weight class and years past his prime, Morales showed us all why we loved watching him in his glory days and why we’d all pay to watch him again.

"With heart, and viva mexico!" Morales said afterwards when asked how he managed to pull off the near upset.

With heart, balls of some metal not known to man, and more guts than we’ve seen since the last time we saw Gatti/Ward 1-3, Morales fought with guile and the experience gleaned from years of wars with the likes of Marco Antonio Barrera and Manny Pacquiao to push the younger, stronger man to his limits and beyond.

“Well truth is, we were expecting an opponent like this, tough,” said Maidana. “That's why i trained well, to win. Morales is really an excellent champion and he can continue with his career, and he can be champion for a 4th time.”

This fight was as mailigned by myself and every other writer and expert in the sport as any fight in years. Reviled as a criminal mismatch due to Morales’ wear and tear, the fact that he was never a junior welterweight and the murderous punching power of Maidana, this looked to be a public execution.

How wrong we all were. Crow never tasted so good as Morales, his eye shut in the first round from either a punch or a head butt, went from weathering an early storm of punches and not letting his hands go to slowly dipping his fists in the water to letting it all hang out in the middle of the fight.

The action started off as we expected; Maidana moving in for the early kill. Morales looked tentative, slipping some shots but not returning fire. Still, there was a sense that perhaps Morales was waiting for Maidana to let some steam off. As it turned out, that is wat he was doing.

“When are you going to start doing something,” asked trainer and father Jose Morales. Erik just looked at him stone faced. As if to say “I know what I am doing.”

In the second, Morales began to let loose his jab and right hand but whiffed at air. He seemed to be just off the mark and the snap was gone from his punches already. Maidana kept at him, bullying him to the ropes and the corners. Morales tried countering but it was no use under the onslaught of punches. He simply was not strong enough to deal with Maidana. Morales would get in a nice right hand late but still, it was Maidana’s round.

But in the third, Morales began to find the range and Maidana seemed to tire a little. Morales tried some uppercuts but still was getting bullied despite Maidana not snapping off his shots as before. Maidana would take the fourth as well but would spend as much time using his head to keep Morales to the ropes as he would punching. He’d take a warning for that.

By the fifth, things began to turn for Morales. Maidana is a wide puncher. Morales, a down the pipe puncher known for his straight right hand. That proved the difference in the middle rounds as Morales began to get off with his one-two and worked his left hook up and downstairs. Maidana seemed to tire just as Morales was finding his rhythm.

The sixth was all action as Morales began to unload on Maidana with his right hand and hard jab. Tripling it at times, Morales used that jab to keep in control. Late in the round, Maidana came on strong but Morales had an answer all the way to the bell.

In the middle of the fight, from 7 to 10, Morales did the impossible: he changed the minds and gathered hope in all who had written him off. Before the fight, I interviewed him in L.A. and upon mentioning he was past it and that this was a dangerous fight, Morales told me “Let me know what you think after the fight.”

Well from round 6-10, I have to say, I popped a crow in the oven and prepared an apology letter. Morales showed he was the superior fighter through and through. He made Maidana miss regularly using sublte shifts in weight, moving his head side to side, blocking, and countering. It was beautifully brutal and Morales was in his element. At times, he stunned Maidana with that right hand and flush left hooks, backing off the younger man.

At one point, Maidana’s corner was screaming at him to get it together “You came to win!” while Morales’ corner was saying “it’s time to knock him out. You can do it whenever you want to.”

That right there encapsulated how crazy this night was.

The fight was on the table for Maidana and Morales in the final two rounds. Maidana came out in the eleventh looking to score a ko and be the busier man. He did not get the stoppage but he certainly got the second part done. Morales’ eye was shut completely and he guarded it well but at the same time, it limited his ability to be active. Maidana had no such problems and in the twelfth round he put the icing on the cake.

“The fight was about even but I came out to win the last round,” said Maidana afterwards. “Well, since the 1st round I came out to win but Erik is not an easy opponent and it was difficult for me.”

When asked what made it so difficult for him Maidana answered “The technique and the speed. He was fast.”

In the end, Morales did not pull off the upset. The storybook ending was only a moral victory. But damnit, what a fight. As unexpected as they come. The scores were 114-114, 116-112, 116-112. I scored a draw.

The fans? To them the score didn’t matter. They got one last look at a legend. And what a look it was.

As for Morales?

“First of all i want to thank all the people that came here tonight. I'm a clean fighter. I fight for the people. I fight for my people of Tijuana. I think that, perhaps he beat me, but in a very dirty manner," Morales would say afterwards.

“No, I didn't think [I beat him], I beat him,” reiterated Morales. “I think I was better than him. I think I still have a lot of speed. I have something called dignity and heart."

So where does he go from here? "I think I will do what people want," said the Mexican legend.

The people will obviously want a rematch. Crazy as it feels to say, I want one, too.

Morales would say at the possibility, “I think i won. I think I'm better than him."

At this, Maidana, in a classy move came back over to Morales in the ring and said “Yes the rematch is there whenever he wants. If he wants it tomorrow, I'll give it to him tomorrow."

Surely Morales, who went to the hospital after the fight, will want to take him up on that offer. Golden Boy will, too. And the fans? The fans will win again as they did tonight.

On the undercard, lightweight Robert Guerrero claimed the right to take on lightweight champion Juan Manuel marquez with a stellar performance against Michael Katsidis. Despite a few scary moments, this was perhaps Guerrero’s most complete performace to date as the boxer/puncher from Gilroy scored a unanimous decision over Katsidis by taking control early and boxing/punching his way to victory over twelve hard rounds. Scores were 117-108, 118-106, 118-107. Both men lost points for low blows but it did not effect the outcome one way or the other.

Paulie Malignaggi took a unanimous decision over Joe Cotto by scores of 99-91, 99-91, 97-93 in a welterweight bout.

In a shocking upset Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8 KOs) scores his sixth KO by dropping junior middleweight James Kirkland (27-1 with 24 KOs) three times in the first round en route to a 1:52 of the first round knockout. Ishida dropped Kirkland off a right hand to the temple followed by a left hand as Kirkland chased him into the corner. Kirkland fell face first and rose quickly only to be bullied back to the ropes and dropped in the opposite corner moments later. He would rise quickly again and engage only to be dropped a third time onto his back. Though no three knockdown rule was in effect and the fact that Kirkland was trying to get up immediately, referee Joe Cortez called the fight off immediately. Ishida was a 30:1 underdog which makes him the biggest winner in a weekend of upsets. Kirkland had been ste for a June 18 HBO headlining date that now is most likely in jeopardy as his trainer, Kenny Adams collapsed in the dressing room right after the fight, prompting him to be rushed to the hospital

 

[heyzel]

Guerrero wins, Kirkland KO’d

By Andreas Hale at ringside

Undercard results from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas:

In a clash for the vacant WBA and WBO interim lightweight lightweight titles, Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero (29-1-1, 18 KOs) delivered a brilliant performance against Michael Katsidis (27-4, 22 KOs) in winning a twelve round unanimous decision. Guerrero dominated a brutal fight with his sharp, accurate punching. Katsidis was deducted two points for low blows in round eight. Guerrero was deducted a point for a low blow in round nine. Scores were 117-108, 118-106, 118-107.

In a huge, huge upset, former WBA interim 154lb titleholder Nobuhiro Ishida (23-6-2, 8 KOs) destroyed previously unbeaten middleweight KO artist James Kirkland (27-1, 24 KOs) with a sensational first round KO. Ishida shockingly dropped Kirkland three times in a one-sided annihilation. Time was 1:52. Kirkland is rated WBO #4 at middleweight, Ishida is rated WBA #4 at super welterweight.

Former IBF jr welterweight champion Paul Malignaggi (29-4, 6 KOs) outboxed Jose Miguel Cotto (32-3-1, 24 KOs) over ten rounds in a welterweight clash, winning by scores of 99-91, 99-91, 97-93. Malignaggi is rated IBF #11, WBC #12, WBO #12 at welterweight. Cotto, the older brother of boxing superstar Miguel Angel Cotto, is rated WBO #11 at jr welterweight.

Danny Garcia (21-0, 14 KOs) cruised to a relatively easy ten round unanimous decision over Nate Campbell (33-8-1, 25 KOs). Garcia’s youth and speed were far too much for “The Galaxy Warrior” to handle as he outclassed Campbell for ten rounds and perhaps sent the former lightweight champion back into retirement. Scores were 99-91, 98-92 and 100-90.

Heavyweight Rakim Chakhiev kept his unbeaten streak intact by scoring a 3rd round knockout of journeyman Harvey Jolly. After brutalizing the torso of Jolly and scoring a knockdown in the second, Chakhiev (10-0, 8 KOs) crushed Jolly (11-17-1) with a right cross in the third as Jolly took a knee and opted to be counted out by referee Joe Cortez. Time of stoppage was 2:18.

In junior middleweight action, Clint Coronel gave Mikael Zewski all he could handle for six rounds but fell short as Zewski (9-0) out worked him to a badly scored six round split decision. Scores were 60-54 and 59-55 for Zewski while the other judge saw Coronel (4-2-2) sweeping the fight 60-54 Coronel. Very poorly scored for a fight that was much closer than any of the judges saw it.

 

[heyzel]

Merciless" Ray Mercer - Still Some Fight in Him

By Ken Hissner


Former WBO Heavyweight Champion “Merciless” Ray Mercer was to return to the ring in Canada on February 25th while his two-time former opponent Tommy “Gunn” Morrison was to headline. Seems Morrison balked at some drug testing and the show got cancelled. Mercer turned 50 on April 4th.

“I really wanted to fight again,” said Mercer. It’s been 3 years since he defeated “The Dutch Sonny Liston”, Richel Hersisia, 30-2, in Sweden, January of 2008. His last 3 bouts have been out of the country with another victory by KO1 over Sweden’s Mikael Linblad, 24-5, in September of 2007. “Thanks to Don Elbaum for those matches in Sweden,” said Mercer. In between those 2 fights was a loss to Derrick Rossy, 17-1, over 12 rounds in China. Matchmaker Elbaum is going into the PA and NJHOF this year.

“I worked with Ray a few years back in Sweden when he fought “The Swedish Sonny Liston. Well good old Ray beat the crap out of this young buck. Ray is a great guy to go on the road with! The Swedish people took to him so well,” said Joey Eye (one of the top cut-men in boxing).

Joey Eye has also gotten into the promoting business at Harrah’s in Chester, PA, outside of Philly. “The ring announcer made a bigger deal about me being in his corner announcing I had been in a few of the Rocky movies. Ray started laughing saying he didn’t know he had such a celebrity working his corner. I apologized and he said, no man, you deserve it, with that big grin of his,” said Eye.

“After the fight he kept calling me Rocky and we painted the town red, and became good friends. Ray is a true champion in and out of the ring! I was honored to have been the cut-man for even just the one fight,” said Eye.

In 1988 Mercer was the AAU and Olympic heavyweight champion. Olympic teammate Riddick Bowe was the Silver medalist in the super heavyweight division. Mercer defeated future WBO champ Michael Bentt twice to get to the Olympic trials. He won a split decision over Morrison in the Olympic trials.

In the Olympics at Seoul, Korea, Mercer, representing the US Army, drew a bye in the first round and then swept through Rudolf Gavencizk, CZ, Luigi Gaudiano, IT, Arnold Vanderlyde, NETH, and Baik Hyun-Man, RSK, all by knockout!

In turning professional Mercer was signed by Marc Roberts along with Al “Ice” Cole and Charles “the Natural Murray, known as the “Triple Threat”. Each would win a world championship starting with Mercer in 1991, Cole in 1992 and Murray in 1993.

At Atlantic City in February of 1989 Mercer stopped Jesse McGhee, 5-2, in 3 rounds under the main event of Roberto Duran and Iran Barkley. Olympic teammates Michael Carbajal, Andrew Maynard and Kennedy McKinney were also on the card. The next month Mercer scored a first round knockout in Bismark, ND, under the Bobby Czyz-Virgil Hill title bout.

By the end of 1989 Mercer scored 12 straight wins ending with former WBA Cruiser champ Ossie Ocasio, 22-6-1, by split decision in Las Vegas, under Leonard- Duran. In February of 1990 he won the vacant IBF Inter-Continental title beating Kimmuel Odum, 12-2, over 12 rounds.

In Mercer’s sixteenth fight he went to “war” with “Smokin” Bert Cooper, in Atlantic City in August of 1990. “It was voted the “Fight of the Year”, said Mercer. Though on the cards Mercer took a lopsided decision, 119-108, 117-110 and 117-106, it was a fight to remember! Cooper was down in the first.

“I had a broken blood vessel and I looked like Dizzy Gillespie my cheek swelled so much. I was in the hospital for 2 days from that and dehydration,” said Mercer. It would be 5 months before Mercer would fight again. “It was a brutal fight. I was working for Triple Threat at the time. I was with Ray afterwards in the hotel room. He was puffy and spent,” said KO Obermayer. He is a long time writer and NJHOF inductee.

“I met Ray when he was a member of the “Triple Threat” stable. He’s a great person in and out of the ring. He’s a strong, technically sound heavyweight fighter. I was the referee when he was in with Holmes and with Darroll Wilson. He never complained. A very competitive fighter,” said Steve Smoger. He is one of the top referee’s in the world and an inductee to the NJHOF. “I also was a judge in a fight in Sweden when Ray scored a sensational first round knockout over local hero, M. Lindblad effectively ending his comeback,” said Smoger.

In January of 1991 Francesco Damiani, 27-0, was brought in from Italy to defend his WBO belt. He was in both the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. In 1982 at the World Games he defeated the legendary Cuban Teofilo Stevenson but lost to America’s Tyrell Biggs. In the finals of the 1984 Olympics he again lost to Biggs to earn the Silver medal. He won the newly created WBO title in 1989 and was making his second defense.

Mercer was giving up height and reach to Damiani. He knew going into the ninth round he could only win by a knockout. Scores at the time were 79-73, 79-74 and 78-74 for Damiani. “I hit him with a left uppercut on the tip of the nose and down he went,” said Mercer. Damiani would be out of action for 14 months.

Mercer was the new WBO heavyweight champion. In July the former WBO light heavyweight Michael Moore stopped Alex Stewart and became the No. 1 contender. “I was going to be stripped of my title for not fight him. I knew I should have fought him,” said Mercer. Instead his management chose Morrison, 28-0, in Atlantic City in October. It was a war for 4 rounds with Morrison winning 3 of them. In the fifth round Mercer scored a devastating knockout leaving Morrison hanging on the ropes before referee Tony Perez stepped in to rescue him.

In February of 1992 the 41 year-old former world champion Larry Holmes was matched with Mercer. Holmes had won 5 in a row over mediocre opposition since his knockout loss to Mike Tyson. Only one judge had it close at 115-113. Holmes gave Mercer a boxing lesson that earned him a losing June title fight with Evander Holyfield.

Mercer bounced back with 2 knockouts and went to Madison Square Garden to meet Jesse “Thunder” Ferguson, 18-9 on the Bowe-Dokes undercard. There were talks of the winner getting a shot at the title but Mercer-Bowe had been talked about since they were teammates on the 1988 team.

Losing to Ferguson was a low point in Mercer’s career. It would take several years to get a rematch. In the meantime it was Ferguson getting a losing title bout with Bowe. Mercer would be off for 18 months before a return with a couple of wins and a rematch win over Ferguson by split decision.

Next, in July of 1994 a television show had Morrison coming off the canvas twice to end up in a draw with Ross Puritty, 8-8, while Mercer was in a draw with iron jawed Marion Wilson, 7-9-2. Wilson was known for one of the best jaws in the game while Mercer wondered if it could get any worse.

Mercer ended up getting a fight with the former champ Lennox Lewis at Madison Square Garden. Mercer gave Lewis a beating. The judges didn’t quite see it that way giving Lewis the majority decision. Lewis would never enter the ring with Mercer again. “That was a bad decision,” said Mercer. That was 3 fights without a win yet his next opponent would be another champion.

The Bowe-Golota rematch and 4 other 10 round bouts were on the card in Atlantic City. Mercer was matched with former champion “Terrible” Tim Witherspoon, 45-4, who was on an 8 fight winning streak. Mercer’s win would be the start of a 7 fight winning streak of his own.

After 11 years the now 41 year-old Mercer, would finally get another title bout for his old WBO title against Wladimir Klitschko, 38-1, in Atlantic City. It was Klitschko’s fourth defense. After a gallant effort it would be the first time in Mercer’s career he would be stopped when the referee waved it off in the sixth round. This would be his last chance at a world title.

Mercer came back in the ring 14 months later stopping Mario Cawley, 22-9, in FL, Shawn Robinson, 15-7, in IND, and decision Darroll Wilson, 27-7-2, in Atlantic City in June of 2005. Several months later Mercer would meet Shannon Briggs, 42-4-1, who had won 6 of his previous fights. This was a close fight with Mercer pressing Briggs throughout the first 5 rounds. In round 7 it would be the second time Mercer was stopped. At 44 it seemed the end of the line for Mercer.

Never say never in the fight game. Mercer at 46 got a call from his good friend Don Elbaum. Boxing was again legalized in Sweden with no fights allowed past 6 rounds. As reported earlier Mercer posted a knockout over Linblad and then a loss in China to Rossy and on a return trip to Sweden posted a win in his final fight “up to now” in September of 2008 over Hersisia. “I frustrated him and boxed him just like Holmes did to me,” said Mercer.

“Holyfield was the toughest,” said Mercer. He fought Bert Cooper, Tommy Morrison, Larry Holmes, Lennox Lewis, Tim Witherspoon, Wladimir Klitschko, Shannon Briggs and Holyfield. We didn’t get into his MMA matches b ecause it’s not of any interest to this writer. There is only one sport like boxing and when you hear the name “Merciless” Ray Mercer what sport do you think about

 

[heyzel]

Nobuhiro Ishida Scores Big Upset In Halting James Kirkland Inside A Round!

By James Slater: Boxing on the exiting Maidana-Morales card in Las Vegas, 35-year-old Nobuhiro Ishida of Japan scored a huge upset as he blew away the previously unbeaten and highly touted James Kirkland inside a round. The former interim WBA light-middleweight champion, noticeably taller than the 27-year-old southpaw, never gave the man from Texas a chance to get into the fight.

Having his third fight since being released from prison, Kirkland was intent on destroying his man. Charging out at the sound of the bell, the reckless-looking “Mandingo Warrior” was caught by a short left hand to the chin and down he went, badly hurt. Up quite quickly, Kirkland tried to fire his own bombs back but he was soon hit and hurt and dropped again. Smashed into a corner by another left hand to the head, Kirkland was given another count by ref Joe Cortez.

Again trying to fire back at Ishida, Kirkland did land a hard shot of his own, before he was put down flat on his back by a big, left/right combo to the jaw. This time Cortez waved the fight off immediately. The time was just one minute and 52-seconds. Ishida, who has never been stopped, is now 23-6-2(8). Kirkland is now 27-1(24).

Golden Boy had a lot of big plans for the exciting Kirkland, but those plans took a huge hit last night. What is perhaps most troubling is the fact that Ishida, though talented and proven at world class, is not a known puncher (just those 8 KO’s). Has the time Kirkland spent in jail affected his skills, or was his lack of attention to defence a major factor in his loss? Kirkland protested Cortez’ decision to halt the fight, but really “Fair But Firm” had no other option.

At age 27 Kirkland is young enough to be able to regroup and come back, but it will be a real test of character for him to do so. As for Ishida, he may well get a big opportunity after doing what he did last night at The MGM Grand!


I hope kirkland can recover from this lost

 

[heyzel]

Malignaggi Gets Cotto Revenge (Sort Of) - Paulie Out-Points Jose Miguel In Style

By James Slater: “Magic Man” Paulie Malignaggi, now campaigning as a welterweight and promoted by Golden Boy, scored a decent points win last night in Las Vegas. Boxing on the Maidana-Morales under-card at The MGM Grand, the 30-year-old had the satisfaction of beating a fighter named Cotto. Beating the great Miguel Cotto’s brother via a wide ten-round UD, the Brooklyn man improved to 29-4(6) and perhaps set himself up for a title shot at 147.

Winning by lopsided scores of 99-91 twice and a too close 97-93, Malignaggi refused to lose to Jose Miguel Cotto, who was assisted in the corner by his world champion brother. The 33-year-old, less talented Cotto is now 32-3-1(24).

After a very good start by Cotto combined with a very bad, somewhat sloppy start by Malignaggi, the slick former IBF 140-pound champ got into his groove and outboxed the shorter, stocky Puerto Rican. A hard left hand to the head staggered Malignaggi in the 1st, and for a while it looked as though Cotto might be too powerful for the man who was out-pointed by Miguel Cotto in 2006. But Paulie got through the round, using his left jab to good effect and, after a close second round, he took Cotto to school.

As exciting a fight as he’s been involved in, at least recently, Malignaggi threw a lot of punches, most of them crisp and accurate, as he piled up points. There was a clash of heads in the 2nd-round, and Malignaggi came off worse when the two clashed heads again in the 5th, with the New Yorker emerging with a cut at the side of his left eye. The two bumped heads a few times last night and eventually Malignaggi was bleeding from both eyes. Fortunately, the damage was not severe enough to stop the entertaining fight.

Malignaggi’s left jab was rapier fast and spot on target at times and Cotto, though still pressing forward, could not cope with his rival’s hand speed.

“You’re boxing the shit out of him!” Malignaggis’s trainer Erik Brown told his charge between the sixth and seventh rounds. And he sure was. Easier to hit today he may be, but Malignaggi has a most reliable chin and whatever did get through from Cotto - the odd right hand, the occasional left hand to the head - was taken well.

The crowd was into the fight (whoever said Malignaggi was a boring fighter!?) and both guys had their support. Malignaggi was still pumping out a ton of shots in the late rounds, showing there is nothing wrong with his stamina up at welterweight. Cotto never gave up the chase, but his work lacked the desperation it needed. Way behind on points and surely knowing it, Cotto should have gone for broke.

Malignaggi coasted a little in the final round, knowing he had the win in the bag. Where the still-classy former titlist goes from here will be most interesting. Aside from the scare in the opener and other lapses in defence (maybe, as Sky commentator and former world champ Jim Watt alluded to, a sign Malignaggi’s reflexes are not what they once were?), “The Magic Man” was in complete control.

Could there be another belt added to Malignaggi’s trophy cabinet before his colourful career is over with?

In other action on the card:

Danny Garcia UD 10 Nate Campbell
Mikael Zewski SD 6 Clint Coronel
Rakhim Chakhkiev TKO 3 Harvey Jolly
Nobuhiro Ishida KO 1 James Kirkland
Robert Guerrero UD 12 Michael Katsidis

 

[heyzel]

Mixed Fortunes For Two Veterans: Vivian Harris TKO’d In A Round, Danny Williams Wins

By James Slater: Two men from different weight classes enjoyed mixed fortunes last night, whilst boxing in different countries. Down at welterweight, former 140-pound champ “Vicious” Vivian Harris suffered a comprehensive 1st-round TKO defeat at the hands of hot prospect Jessie Vargas.

The two met in Primm, Nevada, and the 21-year-old Vargas, considered to be taking a step up in class, proved to be way too much for the man eleven years his senior. Having a very strong round, Vargas, who weighed an official 145-pounds, hammered the 143-pound Harris seemingly at will. Harris made it to the bell and walked back to his corner, but he soon told referee Joe Cortez he was unable to continue fighting. The official time was three minutes of the opening round.

Now 15-0(8), Vargas, who is trained by the knowledgeable Roger Mayweather, is definitely a talent worth keeping an eye on. As for the man who reigned as WBA light-welterweight champ from 2002 to 2005, he has now lost his last three, all by quick stoppage. Now 29-6-1(19), the once-exciting Harris must take a good long look at retirement. It does seem to be his only option.

The same thing was thought about former British heavyweight champion Danny Williams a year or so ago. The 37-year-old was hammered to defeat inside a couple of rounds by current British and Commonwealth ruler Dereck “Del Boy” Chisora in May of last year, and “The Brixton Bomber” admitted himself afterwards that he was a “shot” fighter.

However, in obtaining a Latvian licence, the likeable one-time Mike Tyson conqueror returned to winning ways in March of this year, when he iced a 2-21-2 fighter inside two-rounds in Germany. And last night, reportedly looking in good physical condition, Williams scored a 1st-round win over the 9-2 Lazlo Toth, also in germany. Big Danny stopped the 39-year-old in the off-TV fight with some ease, and he is reported to be looking at fighting again soon.

The two quick wins Williams has scored do not in any way prove he has anything left to offer at top level, but the now 43-9(33) former world title challenger told Boxing News magazine recently how he always did want to leave the sport as a winner. Now that he has a taste for winning again, Danny seem to wish to grab a few more victories, though. Williams, for what it’s worth, certainly has more left than does Vivian Harris.

 

[heyzel]

Carl Froch @ Light Heavyweight

By Tom Graves: ‘The Cobra’ himself said he may well move up to the light heavyweight division, of course this all depends on the outcome of The Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament. The Nottingham Super middleweight has a bout set for June 4th against Glen Johnson which is a semi-final and if victorious he will face the winner of the other semi-final Andre Ward v Arthur Abraham.

The odds stack up to the final being between Andre Ward & Carl Froch. Froch stated “I’ll probably fight Ward in the final of the Super Six and that would be for both the WBC and WBA titles, for the undisputed world championship.”

So putting the Super middleweight division aside what is out there for Carl in the 175 pound division?

Perhaps, a second bout against Jean Pascal. In 2008 Froch faced the canadian for the vacant WBC super middleweight title and won after a very hard-fought 12-round battle, the action was closer in competition than the scorecards showed 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110 in Froch’s favour.

A rematch would be an exciting spectacle seeing as Pascal and Froch have made a promise to face each other again in the future and Pascal has been successful since stepping up in weight and became the WBC light heavyweight champion defending the title four times, including a bout against ‘Bad’ Chad Dawson, and most recently a controversial majority draw against Bernard Hopkins.

An all British clash could be a possibility for Froch against young interim WBO world titlist Nathan Cleverly, the 23 year old Welshman has been rising up the light-heavy ranks since becoming the commonwealth champion in 2008. This match-up would be the closest thing boxing fans would get as the equivalent of a Froch v Calzaghe fight that never happened.

Cleverly has some qualities and similarities reminiscent of Calzaghe, being welsh, quick handed, possessing knockout power (Calzaghe knocked out a lot of opponents earlier on in his career) and looking similar in looks and attitude within the sport.

In his next fight Cleverly faces without doubt his toughest test to date in Juergen Braehmer for the German’s WBO light-heavyweight title on May 21st. If all goes well, down the line I see Froch versus Cleverly a very exciting potential fight for British boxing.

Enzo Maccarinelli has recently made the decision to drop to light-heavyweight in order to try an resurrect his career. The 6ft 4inch Welshman is undoubtedly past his best but if he somehow succeeds at this new weight it would make for an interesting bout against Froch.

Chad Dawson, the 28 year old southpaw is just coming of his first defeat to Pascal by a technical decision in the 11th round, when Froch does move up the difference in their boxing styles would make a potential fight extremely interesting. Dawson’s right handed technical text book style versus Froch’s cagey, low guard defense, slugging style of punching.

Bernard Hopkins, the legend is now 46 years old but is still up their with the best. He recently fought his way to a draw against Pascal after going down in the 1st and again in the 3rd. Many people feel ‘The Executioner’ was robbed that night so following the controversy of the fight, WBC chairman Jose Sulaiman sanctioned an immediate rematch.

Depending on the result of the rematch of course, I believe a Froch v Hopkins fight would be the best match up for years within the light-heavyweight division. Not only would these two men’s styles clash but their personalities, I could imagine both of them involved in a war of words pre-fight.

I am looking forward to watching Froch compete at light-heavyweight just as his nemesis Calzaghe did after his reign at Super-middleweight to see how successful Froch can be. For now ‘The Cobra’ has the Super six tournament to win but the future of Carl Froch at Light Heavyweight is an interesting spectacle.

 

[heyzel]

Judah thinks Morales won last Saturday night, wants to fight Maidana now

By Dan Ambrose: IBF light welterweight champion Zab Judah (41-6, 28 KO’s) saw last Saturday’s fight between Erik Morales (51-7, 35 KO’s) and Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO’s), and feels that Morales should have won the fight, not Morales. Judah, 33, now wants to fight Maidana next and feels that he can beat him. Judah recently defeated Kaizer Mabuza on March 5th by a 7th round TKO to capture the International Boxing Federation strap.

Speaking with the examinerc.om, Judah said “People can say what they want to say but I saw the fight for Erik Morales….I give him [Maidana] respect as a champion….If the fight ever pops up and if Marcos should be next I will defeat him too.”

Judah would have to fight a lot better than he did against Lucas Matthysse and Mabuza for him to beat Maidana, because Judah’s work rate has really dropped recently and he’s now more of a pot shot fighter that lives and dies by the knockout. He threw very punches in both the Matthysse and Mabuza fights. I saw Judah losing the Matthysse fight but being given a gift decision while fighting at home in New Jersey. In the Mabuza fight, Judah was losing the fight until he landed a big uppercut in the 7th and hurt Mabuza. Judah then finished him off with a flurry of punches. Judah wouldn’t be able to count on taking Maidana out with a single punch and he wouldn’t be able to run around the ring and beat Maidana like he did Matthysse. Maidana would force Judah to fight and would land a lot of big power shots that I don’t have faith that Judah would be able to handle without cutting up, going down for the count or outright quitting in the ring.

 

[heyzel]

Maidana quickly becoming HBO’s most popular fighter

By Scott Gilfoid: With both Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao out of the picture, WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO’s) is very possibly HBO’s number #1 fighter in terms of bringing excitement to boxing fans around the United States. Heck, even with Mayweather and Pacquiao still around, Maidana may be the most exciting fighter that HBO has going for them. Maidana looked magnificent on Saturday night in bringing out the best in Morales in what’s sure to be the fight of the year.

Maidana wore the former three-time world champion Morales down with sledgehammer shots and by the 10th round, Maidana was pounding on a big slab of beef with one huge anvil-like shot after another. Maidana turned Morales’ right eye to a swollen ugly mass that looked dangerously hurt. The fight perhaps should have been stopped due to the swelling on that eye and hopefully Morales doesn’t wind up with permanent eye damage.

It just shows you how powerful Maidana’s punches hard because he had Morales looking like he crawled out of a war zone after only one round. The rest of the fight was Maidana making Morales fight and getting the very best out of the aging fighter. Maidana has that way of bringing fighters up to their peak potential and by doing so Maidana has quickly become arguably the most interesting fighter to watch on HBO. Forget about Pacquiao, Mayweather and Amir Khan, Maidana is the guy that brings excitement to the game with his nonstop attack mode.

The Maidana-Morales fight was one where I was literally on the edge of my chair the entire 12 rounds. There was never a dull moment during the action. Morales, to his credit, fought his heart out and seemed to roll back the years on this night. Maidana as usual was pure gold the way he kept firing power punch after power punch without stop. It was an even better fight to watch than the masterpiece that Maidana put on in his fight against Khan last December. Morales is partly to thank for that by running and holding the way that Khan did.

 

[heyzel]

Khan-McCloskey moving to Primetime PPV

By Sean McDaniel: With WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (24-1, 17 KO’s) and his team deciding not to agree to having the April 16th fight between Khan and unbeaten Paul McCloskey (22-0, 12 KO’s) moved from Sky Sports PPV to Sky Sports 3, a non-PPV channel, Khan has now decided to move to Primetime PPV for the McCloskey fight.

It looks like Khan is going to make sure he gets the PPV money he was looking to get. It’s unclear how fans will accept this because the interest in his fight against McCloskey has been low to say the least.

Khan took a big £1 million pay cut when Sky decided not to put his bout against McCloskey on PPV. Khan was set to receive a reported £250,000 for the McCloskey fight. Khan won’t make much more than that with Primetime according to reports, but it looks like he’d rather get as good a deal as he can for the McCloskey fight.

Sky Sports is looking after their subscribers and want to make sure they put on the best show possible for boxing fans. The advance sales for the Khan-McCloskey fight were dismal with approximately 50,000 buys. This suggests that Khan and his team may have misjudged the fan interest in seeing him fight a little known fighter like McCloskey.

Khan and his team wanted this fight for a long time. Who knows why but they seemed to have guessed wrong about fans from the UK being interested in this fight as well. To help gain interest for fans to purchase the Khan-McCloskey fight the undercard was supposed to have had some decent fights with Tyson Fury vs. Hasim Rahman and Matthew Macklin facing Khoren Gevor. Both of those fights failed to materialize, leaving the following fights on the undercard Rendall Munroe vs. Andrei Isaeu, Craig Watson vs. Lee Purdy, Martin Murray vs. John Anderson Carvalho and Graeme Higginson vs. Andy Murray.

Those fights are somewhat interesting bouts but not the kind of fights needed to make this a PPV bout you would think. With Khan choosing an unknown fighter who is less than hugely popular and not considered much of a threat to Khan, Sky Sports decided to move the Khan-McCloskey fight to Sky 3.

Khan may have been better off keeping the Khan-McCloskey fight on Sky 3, because at boxing fans would get to see him fight and it would help draw interest in Khan’s fight with Timothy Bradley during the summer. By having his fight with McCloskey shown on Primetime PPV, Khan will get viewer fans watching the fight and it surely won’t help him drum up interest for his bout against Bradley in July.

It looks like if Khan is going to want to have his future fights shown on Sky, he’s going to have to forget about taking soft tune-ups or facing obscure fighters and will have to focus on facing only the best time after time. That’s the way it should be, but Khan hasn’t always taken on the best fighters since being knocked out by Breidis Prescott in 2008.

We’ve seen a lot of less than impressive fighters in there with Khan and many of his fights have blow-outs or one-sided affairs that have been less than pleasing to watch. You can’t blame Sky for wanting to avoid putting on another one-sided affair with Khan facing McCloskey and having Sky subscribers pay to see this fight.

 

[heyzel]

Say it aint so! Mayweather rejects $50 mil to fight Manny Pacquiao

By Marquise Bullock: Well, it looks like the dream fight is never going to happen. According to “The Nation Newspaper”, talks from both sides of the camp has been going on for quite some time now, and Manny’s camp threw the $50 million dollar offer on the table, but the man who’s known by many as “Money”, declined. The only question is…why?

Could it be the testing issue? Fear? Or an disinterest in the sport? Who knows. But at this point it looks like the “Money Man” has checked out of the sport. That’s too bad, boxing really needed this fight to end thee debate on who’s better out of the two. But not only that, also so casual fans could focus more on prospects up and coming in the sport. But knowing boxing and business, who knows what the future holds between

 

[heyzel]

Froch thinks DeGale will have problems with Groves

By Sean McDaniel: WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch feels that British super middleweight champion James DeGale (10-0, 8 KO’s) will struggle to try and find an answer to beat Commonwealth super middleweight champion George Groves (12-0, 10 KO’s) in their important grudge fight next month on May 21st at the O2 Arena (Millenium Dome), Greenwich, London.

Froch has sparred in the past with Groves and knocked him down early in one of the sessions. Despite apparently dominating Groves, Froch still thinks Groves has what it takes to give the unbeaten former 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist DeGale problems.

Froch had this to say on the matter in an interview at boxingfutures.com: “DeGale is kidding himself if he thinks this fight is a formality… Groves, he’s got the perfect sparring partner in Andre Dirrell, he’s fast, hard to hit and comes back with good shots. It’s great preparation for someone like DeGale.”

Froch may turn out to be way off on his estimation of Groves’ ability, because right now he’s not looking comparable to DeGale. That’s not to say that DeGale won’t have problems and get marked up a little in the Groves fight, but I don’t see this as being a life and death battle where DeGale barely wins it.

I see him winning comfortably. The two fighters fought in the past while amateurs and Groves won the fight. I saw the fight and had DeGale winning by a comfortable margin. Groves, whether he’s trained by Dirrell or not, is just too hittable to compete with a fighter as good as DeGale. Groves is a decent domestic fighter but not a world class fighter like DeGale. Groves is going to find out that he’s not on the same level as DeGale next month.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

what do you guys think of a Erik Morales vs Juan Manuel Marquez fight at 140 pounds? That's a fight a lot of people have wanted to see for many years. Now it actually makes sense.

 

[WYNO707X4]

if marquez goes up to 140.i want him to fight bradley

 

[WYNO707X4]

if marquez goes up to 140.i want him to fight bradley

 

[2-0-Sixx]

that wont happen for some time as Amir Khan and Bradley are certainly going to fight after Khan's upcoming tune up fight this weekend.

 

[ChuckTaylor84]

cant believe kirkland got dropped in one round datz krazy

 

[bigface]

Marquez vs Morales at 140lb would be fireworks. I think Marquez with his accurate straight punches would win the fight.