Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Khan vs. Peterson to be called a no contest, rematch to be most anticipated fight of 2012.
January 8th, 2012

By Saqib Khan: After all of the debacle which was uncovered we can finally say this so called IBF official dealings with the judges was illegal. Therefore going by the rules of boxing any outside source that interferes with the scorecards or the judges the fight should be called a no contest.

As for the Amir Khan vs. Lamont Peterson fight, I do feel sorry for both fighters, they will now have to do this again in a rematch; it is a shame outside sources ruin a fight in where two athletes are fighting for their lives. As the first fight was too close to call the rematch will be a super fight in Las Vegas, there will be defiantly bad blood between each camps, fighters and fans.

At this moment of time of time Amir Khan is a two dimensional fighter he has not learnt the art of inside fighting I hope this rematch he will learn this skill if he wants examples watch the tape of Andre Ward vs. Carl Froch, where ward made Froch look like an amateur. Amir Khan uses his legs too much in fights to sway from shots he needs to block more and use his waist to dodge shots; the master of this was James Toney making defence into offense.

A combination of usage of leg work and inside fighting will make Amir Khan the complete fighter. Amir Khan should realise that this is his most important year as a boxer; a victory over Lamont Peterson will set up a super fight against Floyd Mayweather in December. Amir Khan should be training after fights just like the American and the Mexican fighters do. His focus is not in boxing at the moment he should be in the gym everyday because these upcoming fights could make him one of the greatest fighters to come out of UK. Fights with Mayweather, Pacquiao, Canelo, Mosely, Cotto, Berto, Ortiz, Maidana, Bradley and Margarito all at 147 to 154, all career defining fights for Amir Khan. Amir Khan needs to improve and will need more than a 12 week training camps to beat these fighters.
As to become the first British fighter to get the mythical status of pound for pound champ the jury is still out, skilled fighters like Adrien Broner, Gamboa, Canelo are all in the line for this title. Amir Khan needs to improve rapidly.

Going back to the controversy, Ricky Hatton was supposedly monitoring the Amir Khan situation as the man in the black hat was spotted at the Ricky Hatton fight with Mayweather.

 

[heyzel]

Kelly Pavlik to be back in the ring in April or May, no opponent yet
January 8th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (37-2, 32 KO’s) is reportedly on his way to start training in California and could be back in the ring by April or May of this year, according to news from Wfmj.com. Pavlik, 29, will be trained by Robert Garcia in Oxnard, California to see if he can reignite his stalling career.

Pavlik hasn’t fought since May 2011, when he struggled to beat little known super middleweight Alfonso Lopez by a 10 round majority decision. That was the only time Pavlik fought in 2011. Before that, Pavlik fought only once in 2010, losing his WBC/WBO titles to Sergio Martinez by a 12 round unanimous decision in April 2010.

Pavlik is currently listed as a super middleweight. However, it’s going to be difficult to see him succeeding in that weight class with all of the talent in the division. But he may find a niche if he can after the weak link Robert Stieglitz, the WBO super middleweight champion, or perhaps pick off Mikkel Kessler if he beats Stieglitz this April. However, Pavlik has to fight more than just once a year for him to do anything.

He’s not been busy enough the last two years, and in 2009, he only fought twice. That’s just not enough for him to really move forward quickly enough to do anything. He may start showing signs of aging if he doesn’t fight more often and ideally, Pavlik needs to try and move back down to middleweight because there are too many fighters at 168lbs that could potentially box circles around him the same way that Martinez and Bernard Hopkins did in their victories over him. Pavlik is good against stationary fighters or sluggers, but the super middleweight division lost the last slugger as a champion when WBC champ Carl Froch was beat in the Super Six tournament finals by Andre Ward. Pavlik would not do well at all against Ward, so hopefully that’s someone he stays away from.

It may be that Pavlik has seen his best days and will never be able to capture another world title. That likely will be the case if Pavlik stays at super middleweight and refuses to move back down

 

[heyzel]

Arum’s four-fighter list for Pacquiao: Two retreads and two non-stars
January 9th, 2012

By Chris Williams: You know things are bad when you have Bob Arum rejecting Floyd Mayweather Jr. for a bout against his fighter Manny Pacquiao for the sake of Arum putting him in with one of four fighters – Timothy Bradley, Miguel Cotto, Lamont Peterson and Juan Manuel Marquez – that Arum has personally selected for him to fight.

Arum is basically down to the bare essentials in picking opponents out for his Filipino star. It’s so bad that Arum is now looking to match Pacquiao with former Pacquiao opponents, which in this case are Miguel Cotto and Juan Manuel Marquez. Boxing fans just saw Pacquiao fight Marquez for the third time, and like the other times they fought, Marquez wasn’t given the decision.

Arum is interested in seeing them fight again because of the money that Marquez brings in from the Mexican fan base of Marquez. Arum wants to see Pacquiao do better than he did last time. I don’t know if he can but I don’t think it really matters. The judges probably won’t give Marquez a win over Pacquiao unless knocks him out or beats him senseless. Pacquiao is the star and stars in boxing are almost impossible to beat by a decision unfortunately.

Pacquiao because Cotto so badly that boxing fans are still turned off at the idea of Arum putting Cotto back in with Pacquiao. But since Arum has already exhausted pretty much his entire Top Rank team, with the exception of Mike Alvarado and Brandon Rios, he’s now using retreads like Cotto.

Peterson and Bradley are not big sellers in bringing in fans. Bradley is more of an investment for Arum than someone that he can cash out right now against Pacquiao. Arum needs to put Bradley in against better opposition to increase his value before he cashes him out.

I just don’t know if Arum has the patience to wait two or three years for Bradley to build a fan base before he put him in with Pacquiao. Besides that, Pacquiao may not be around in two or three years. If Arum matches him now, it will be like Pacquiao is being put in with Joshua Clottey again because Bradley is about as popular as Clottey. He’s not going to excite anyway and if Arum thought he was getting a future PPV star when he signed him up, he’s likely to be in for a rude awakening when that fails to happen.

It’s still hard to believe that Arum turned down Mayweather for these four guys. It makes it seem like Arum is just interested in milking Pacquiao rather than having him really tested. I guess it’s a good move for him and a good move for Pacquiao. Arum continues to make good money with Pacquiao beating guys that aren’t in his class, and Pacquiao doesn’t have to see his paydays drop after a loss to Mayweather.

 

[heyzel]

Andre Ward wants a big fight for next bout
January 9th, 2012

By Scott Gilfoid: WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (25-0, 13 KO’s) doesn’t plan on letting up after beating some of the best fighters in the super middleweight division in the Super Six tournament.

Ward wants a big name for his next fight in 2012 and doesn’t want to take the soft route that a lot of champions typically take after having fought a good opponent.

In an interview at fighthype.com, Ward mentioned the following fighters that he’d be interested in possibly fighting next: Nathan Cleverly, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Sergio Martinez, Robert Stieglitz, and Mikkel Kessler. Ward also mentioned his #1 mandatory challenger Anthony Dirrell as a possibility as well.

Ward sees Chavez Jr. and Martinez as being catchweight fights for him if he can work something out with one of the two fighters. It’s unclear how serious Ward is about wanting to fight either of them because he didn’t appear to be really excited by the fights when talking about them.

The two fighters that Ward showed the most enthusiasm for fighting is Stieglitz and Kessler. Ward would like to face Stieglitz in April and then fight Kessler in his bout after that once Ward has Stieglitz’s WBO strap. Ward wants to fight Kessler again because the Danish fighter has been making excuses for his earlier loss to Ward in 2009 by saying that he was affected by the accidental headbutts from Ward and that’s why had lost.

Ward wants to fight Kessler again and prove that his win over him in the past wasn’t just because Kessler suffered a couple of cuts. As for Ward getting a fight with Stieglitz in April, I don’t see that happening. I think Stieglitz will take the Kessler fight because Kessler has a following in Germany and he might be a better opponent to bring in fans compared to Ward.

I think Ward may end up fighting Dirrell next because it’s the easiest fight to make. Chavez’s promoter Bob Arum probably won’t let Chavez Jr. fight him. And Martinez has seemed reluctant to fight super middleweights in the past. I doubt he’d want to fight the guy that’s considered the best of the super middleweights in Ward.

Martinez will probably stay far away from Ward, although he’ll stick every once in a while to make it seem like he’s interested in fighting him but I don’t think he is. Ward won’t get a fight with Cleverly because he seems to be on a soft diet in terms of opposition and is looking for a fight against 47-year-old Hopkins.

I can’t see Cleverly’s promoter putting him with someone who would not only beat Cleverly but embarrass him in the process. So although Ward is optimistic about his chances to land a big fight against a number of opponents, I think he doesn’t understand that most fighters duck tough fights and typically only take fights they know they’re going to win unless it’s a mandatory they’re being forced to fulfill.

The only fighter that I can see out of that bunch who isn’t afraid to fight Ward is Anthony Dirrell. The rest of them I think will be gone like rats running from a cat if Ward starts calling them out.

 

[heyzel]

Andre Dirrell plans on fighting in April, wants Lucian Bute
January 9th, 2012

By Scott Gilfoid: Andre Dirrell (20-1, 14 KO’s) plans on getting back in the ring by April of this year against a still to be determined opponent, according to fighthype.com. Dirrell wants a fight against IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 24 KO’s) and would take him on immediately if Bute would give him the fight.

Dirrell is going to have to likely wait a while for the Bute fight because he’s trying to put together a two-fight deal with Carl Froch and that could take up a substantial amount of time for those two fights to get completed. At best, Dirrell might get a crack at Bute by November or December depending on how things go in Bute’s two fights with Froch.

Dirrell looked outstanding in beating Darryl Cunningham by a 2n round TKO last month on December 30th. The hand speed, the movement and the defense were all still intact for Dirrell. But what was really surprising was the power that Dirrell revealed in blasting the tough-chinned Cunningham out with a two-knockdown performance.

Dirrell looked really powerful and was hitting Cunningham with massive shots that would do his brother Anthony Dirrell proud. Anthony has always been the slugger in the family, but Andre showed that he can be just as much of a knockout threat as his brother.

What Andre needs is a couple of good wins to get himself back in the super middleweight rankings and then he can target the winner of the Froch-Bute fights. Andre Ward has already given Bute his marching orders that he has to beat at least two A level fighters before he’ll give him a shot at his titles. If Bute beats Froch in two fights, he’ll still need one more A level opponent before Ward will pay attention to him.

That’s where Dirrell comes in. Bute will have to step up to the plate and take on a fighter with hand speed, better defense and footwork than himself. I think Bute may try to get out of that fight and continue with his easy fights against soft opposition rather than face Dirrell and risk getting beaten.

 

[heyzel]

Brandon Rios back in action on March 3rd at lightweight on HBO
January 8th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Former WBA World lightweight champion Brandon Rios (29-0-1, 22 KO’s) will be back in the ring on March 3rd competing in the lightweight division in a fight that will reportedly be televised on HBO.

Rios, 25, doesn’t yet have an opponent picked out but there will be one selected by his promotional company Top Rank in the coming weeks. Rios lost his World Boxing Association title on the scales before his last fight against John Murray last December when Murray was unable to make the weight for the fight. He weighed over the 135 pound limit and subsequently lost his title.

He did, however, have no problems beating Murray by a 11th round TKO but it hurt to lose the title though. Rios been talking about moving up in weight to the light welterweight division due to his problems making weight. However, according to RingTV, Rios will stay at lightweight and will be working with a nutritionist to make sure he comes in at the correct weight for his March 3rd fight. It’s a wise decision because Rios may not be able to dominate at 140 the same way he was at the 135.

The lightweight division is pretty weak right now and Rios had it good as one of the champions. If he moves up in weight, Rios would have worry about bigger guys like Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan. He’d also have excellent fighters like Timothy Bradley, Danny Garcia, Erik Morales, Ajose Olusegun, Lucas Matthysse, Humberto Soto, Marcos Maidana, Zab Judah, Paul McCloskey, Breidis Prescott, and Mike Alvarado to worry about. Rios might be able to beat some of them but it’s doubtful he could get through all of them without suffering a couple of losses.

Mike Alvarado (32-0, 23 KO’s) has been mentioned as a possible opponent for Rios’ next fight. Alvarado fights for the same Top Rank company and they like to put their fighters in with each other for in house fights. This would be a tough fight for Rios because Alvarado, 5’9”, has a lot of power and is a little taller than the 5’8” Rios.
At some point Rios may have problems staying at 135 no matter how carefully he works with his nutritionist. At that point it’s going to be interesting to see if he can be a factor at 140.

Arum has already said that he’ll be looking to match Rios with Manny Pacquiao in 2013 as long as Rios hasn’t been beaten by anyone before that.

 

[heyzel]

Erik Morales in tough fight against Danny Garcia on 3/24
January 8th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: WBC light welterweight champion Erik Morales (52-7, 36 KO’s) a tiny reprieve by his gallbladder surgery that postponed his fight #1 World Boxing Council challenger Danny Garcia (22-0, 14 KO’s), but the fight has now been rescheduled for March 24th and Morales is still faced with the same tough task as he had before in trying to beat a younger, bigger, faster, stronger and taller Garcia.

It just doesn’t look good for the 35-year-old Morales in this matchup. Morales has the experience but that stops counting when you get up age to the point where your body isn’t the same as it once was.

Morales struggled in winning his last fight against little known Pablo Cesar Cano last September. Morales eventually wore the 22-year-old Cano down and stopped him in the 9th, but it was very tough fight for Morales when it should have been an easy one. Cano was a decent but not nearly in the same class as Garcia.

There’s big difference between them. Morales just looks like a guy that’s fighting out of his weight class right now. His hand speed is slow and he doesn’t move like he used to. The WBC clearly did him a big favor in ranking him so highly and it was dumb luck for Morales when Lucas Matthysse, who he was supposed to fight last September, came up sick the week before the fight. Few people saw Morales winning that fight, and instead of taking a pounding against Matthysse, Morales got to face the inexperienced and badly flawed Cano for the vacant WBC title.

The Morales-Garcia fight will be televised on HBO with the co-main event being James Kirkland vs. Carlos Molina. It’s a decent card right now but it needs at least one more good fight for the card to be a really good one. Watching an old Morales face a young guy like the 23-year-old Garcia isn’t enough on its own to bring in big ratings. Morales has been out of the sport too long and he needs a younger fighter on the card that connects with younger boxing fans.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Gamboa vs Rios Fight Plan To Be Determined Very Soon

By Keith Idec

Executives for Top Rank Inc. won’t determine until after incoming HBO Sports president Ken Hershman begins his new job on Monday what they’ll do next with Brandon Rios and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

They’re either going to match Rios and Gamboa against separate opponents in a doubleheader to build more momentum toward what would be a highly anticipated lightweight showdown. Or they’re going to go straight to Rios-Gamboa, depending on how much money is available within HBO’s budget for immediately making a bout boxing fans really want to see.

Rios (29-0-1, 22 KOs), who lost his WBA lightweight title at the scales Dec. 2 in New York, is fine with either plan. The rugged fighter from Oxnard, Calif., just wants a shot at Gamboa (21-0, 16 KOs), the abundantly talented Cuban who is expected to move up from featherweight to lightweight for his next bout no matter who he fights.

“I’m more than happy to do it right away,” Rios said regarding the Gamboa fight, which is the only option at lightweight keeping him from moving up to 140 pounds. “I want to prove myself and show everybody I’m not a fluke, like everybody thinks I am. I’m fighting all these guys they’re saying I’m bigger than. I need to prove myself, so I need a serious challenge.”

While Gamboa, 30, has yet to fight at lightweight, the 25-year-old Rios realizes the former featherweight champion’s diverse skill set will present an extremely serious challenge.

“Gamboa’s a very quick, awkward little fighter,” Rios said. “But, you know, if he fights me he’s going to have a lot to think about. How he’s going to handle my pressure, a guy that takes the pressure, a guy that can punch with both hands? How will he handle that?

“He’ll be the smaller guy [about two inches shorter than Rios]. But like I said, he’s very quick, very awkward, so it’ll be a good fight to have. I think it would be like one of the fights I had with Miguel Acosta. The first round he’s going to run, try to out-box me, this and that. But then I’m going to catch him later on.”

Keith Idec covers boxing for The Record and Herald News, of Woodland Park, N.J., and BoxingScene.com.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Gamboa is crazy! that will be one hell of a fight though, definitely the fight I'm most looking forward to this year. fuck floyd vs pacquiao

 

[2-0-Sixx]

vitali vs chisora, meet face to face in London (lmao @ chisora's car! Vitali pulled up in a $100,000+ dollar car, chisora pulled up in this)

 

[heyzel]

Roach once threw “Mystery Man” out of his gym
January 9th, 2012

By John F. McKenna (McJack): The “Mystery Man” at the center of the current controversy in the December fight in which Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) lost his title belts to new WBA/IBF light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) was allegedly once thrown out of Freddie Roach’s gym.

The December fight has been filled with controversy ever since referee Joe Cooper took the unusual step of deducting two points from Khan for pushing off during the hard fought battle. The points deductions were the difference in the fight and allowed Peterson to not only become the new World Boxing Association (WBA) and IBF champion but a hero in his hometown of Washington, D.C. as well.

Richard Schaefer the CEO for Golden Boy Promotions said yesterday that the identity of the “Mystery Man” is Mustafa Ameen. There are conflicting reports as to whether Ameen is an IBF official or not. Although it is almost certain that he did not belong at ringside talking with the WBA judging supervisor during the fight. Adding fuel to the controversy was the fact that Mustafa is seen on tape after the fight celebrating in Peterson’s corner with Lamont’s team.

The Daily Mirror quoted five time Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach saying the following:

“He comes to my gym. He came to the (U.S.) Olympic training centre and I had him removed one time. (Ameen) has no credentials – he’s not a member of any boxing organization. There’s no reason for him to be at ringside.”

Schaefer claims that the WBA had offered a rematch with Peterson and called for the IBF to do the same.

Roach maintains that because of the numerous controversies surrounding the fight, the match should be judged as a no-contest. The mounting controversies include the point deductions by referee Joe Cooper, the disappearance and reappearance of the scorecard and now the “Mystery Man” allegedly interfering with the WBA judging supervisor during the fight.

A hearing is scheduled for January 18 before the World Boxing Association (WBA) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF) to discuss the various grievances surrounding the controversial Khan – Peterson fight.

Khan had planned to move up from light welterweight to welterweight after the Peterson fight, but losing his title belts put a least a temporary glitch in those plans.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hell yeah!

Tavoris Cloud vs Campillo
Paul Williams vs Ishida
Showtime
Feb 18th

Junior middleweight Paul Williams claimed a decision victory in perhaps the most controversial outcome of 2011, and Nobuhiro Ishida scored a shocking knockout victory in perhaps the year's biggest upset.

Now they will fight each other.

Williams and Ishida will meet in a scheduled 12-round bout that will headline an edition of "Showtime Championship Boxing" at the AmericanBank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, Dan Goossen, Williams' promoter, told ESPN.com on Monday.

The opening bout of the broadcast is slated to be light heavyweight titlist Tavoris Cloud of Tallahassee, Fla., defending against former titleholder Gabriel Campillo of Spain. Showtime was in the process Monday of finalizing that deal Monday.

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Get the latest scoop and analysis on the world of boxing from ESPN.com's Dan Rafael in his blog.

Heavyweight contender Cristobal Arreola (34-2, 29 KOs) is also scheduled to fight on the card against an opponent to be determined. Although it has not been determined if his bout will be part of Showtime's telecast, Arreola is integral to the promotion. Because he is a Mexican-American, he figures to be the gate draw in a heavily Hispanic area and will be a significant part of the card's marketing.

Williams, a former two-time welterweight titlist and former interim junior middleweight titleholder, has not fought since July 9, when he was awarded a majority decision against Erislandy Lara in an HBO main event in Atlantic City, N.J.

Although Lara landed left hands nearly at will and was the clear winner in the eyes of most media covering the fight, HBO's announcers and the crowd, judges Hilton Whitaker (115-114) and Don Givens (116-114) scored the fight for Williams, while judge Al Bennett scored it a draw, 114-114. In an unprecedented move, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board suspended all three judges indefinitely over their scoring of the bout.

Now the 30-year-old Williams (40-2, 27 KOs), of Aiken, S.C., is poised to return.

"Paul is anxious to get back in there and re-establish himself in the minds of people who don't give him credit for winning the fight with Lara," Goossen said. "People will forget real quickly with a good performance against Ishida. Whether you had Paul winning or losing (against Lara) it was an exciting fight and that's what Paul Williams is known for -- being in those types of fights. He gives as good as he gets most of the time, so I think this should be another one of those good Paul Williams fights."

Ishida (24-6-2, 9 KOs), 36, of Japan, is also a former interim junior middleweight titlist, but he had a very modest resume when he was matched with slugger James Kirkland last April on the Marcos Maidana-Erik Morales HBO PPV undercard in Las Vegas. The bout was supposed to be a showcase for Kirkland, who was being considered for a fall title shot against middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (who is 1-1 against Williams in two memorable fights).

However, Ishida scored a massive upset when he knocked Kirkland down three times en route to a first-round knockout victory. In his one bout since the stunner, Ishida scored a first-round knockout against Edson Espinoza, who was making his pro debut, in November.

Williams and Ishida nearly met on HBO last July, but after the network approved the fight it changed its mind, and Williams wound up fighting Lara instead.

Kirkland returned to win two low-level fights after the loss to Ishida but then hit it big again when he knocked out the favored Alfredo Angulo in the sixth round in a riveting fight in November. Goossen said he thinks that Kirkland's victory against Angulo made Ishida's victory against Kirkland that much more impressive.

"I believe Kirkland's performance against Angulo was a factor that showed that Ishida deserved the shot with Williams in another big fight," Goossen said. "To me, Ishida has earned his opportunity to fight a fighter like Paul Williams and Paul has earned the right to fight the man who knocked out James Kirkland. This is a fight that will be a barometer to see where Paul is. I believe he is still at the top of the class in the 154-pound division. Ishida is somebody you have to contend with to get back to that top level."

Williams' recent struggles have come against left-handed fighters -- Lara and in two fights with Martinez.

Williams won a debatable majority decision against Martinez in a nontitle slugfest in December 2009 and, two fights later, suffered a brutal second-round knockout loss in November 2010 (which was the widely recognized knockout of the year).

Those struggles against southpaws are another reason why Ishida got the call.

"One of the things I love about it is that he is right-handed," Goossen said.

If Williams is successful against Ishida, Goossen said the hope is that Williams will get a rubber match with Martinez and a rematch with Lara.

"That's a fight we would like to get back," Goossen said of another fight with Martinez. "They're 1-1. Paul wants to do it again with Lara, too, even though he got the victory because Paul is the kind of fighter who wants to erase any doubts."

Cloud (23-0, 19 KOs) was supposed to defend against former titleholder Zsolt Erdei on Dec. 31, but when Erdei pulled out with a hand injury, combined with the challenge of gaining publicity for a card on New Year's Eve, Showtime canceled the show.

Now the network is making it up to Cloud, who will be making his fourth title defense, by including him on the Feb. 18 card against Campillo (21-3-1, 8 KOs), who is managed by Martinez, one of his friends and sparring partners. Campillo was the leading candidate to replace Erdei on Dec. 31 had Showtime gone through with the card.

"When Campillo got call to fight on Dec. 31 he took the fight immediately," said Sampson Lewkowicz, Campillo's promoter. "When they canceled the fight I kept Campillo in training. Now we are getting the fight on Feb. 18. We have agreed on everything. I spoke with Don King (Cloud's promoter) and I am waiting for the paperwork."

Dan Rafael covers boxing for ESPN.com. Follow him on Twitter.​

 

[JLMACN]

Gamboa is crazy! that will be one hell of a fight though, definitely the fight I'm most looking forward to this year. fuck floyd vs pacquiao

I think Gamboa may be looking at his first loss.......


5000

 

[CZAR]

What a joke! Got Em!!

http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/bo...ort-floyd-mayweather-to-fight-robert-guerrero

Report: Mayweather-Guerrero close to done

Floyd Mayweather Jr. is thisclose to naming a foe for his May 5 scrap.

According to Raymond Markarian, writing for TheSweetScience.com, a source informed him that negotiations for a Mayweather-Guerrero bout are in their final stage.

Mayweather advisor Leonard Ellerbe had said the tussle could be announced later this week.

The 28-year-old Guerrero, a California-based boxer seen as one of the classiest battlers in the sport, has a 29-1-1 record. The left-hander has been off since April 2011, because of a left shoulder injury, which necessitated surgery. The ex-featherweight, super feather and lightweight champion has never weighed more than 138 pounds as a pro at a weigh-in, so he'll be biting off a hunk of challenge in the pound-for-pound king, who has campaigned at 140 pounds or more since 2004. The May 5 date, tied to the Cinco de Mayo weekend, would likely draw a solid crowd, as the Mexican-American Guerrero has a solid fanbase.

The 34-year-old Mayweather is looking to get a fight in and raise his record to 43-0 before he turns himself in for a no-more-than three months jail sentence. That term, set to start June 1, stems from a 2010 altercation with his ex-galpal in Las Vegas in September 2010.

 

[heyzel]

Attorney: Mayweather didn't get special treatment
January, 9, 2012
Jan 9
10:57
AM ET

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Comments6

By Michael Woods
Upon first glance, many folks who heard that Floyd Mayweather’s jail sentence for a domestic altercation in 2010 with his ex-girlfriend had been postponed thought the boxer was the recipient of a sweetheart deal from the Nevada courts.

Mayweather, the all-time great pugilist whose ring expertise is uncontested but whose persona evokes ample loathing in many fight fans, as well as adoration from rooters who enjoy his hip hopper-style persona, was to go to jail on Jan. 6. His sentence was to be for a period of no more than 90 days in lockup. But on Friday, we learned that the judge who has been overseeing the case didn’t realize that the boxer was slated to fight on May 5. When informed of the date, against a foe yet to be determined, the judge moved Mayweather’s report date. The boxer is now slated to report to jail by June 1.

I asked New York attorney Keith Sullivan -- who appears regularly on MSNBC and Fox News for his take on criminal matters and represents several fight-game organizations pro-bono -- if Floyd was getting a sweet deal because he’s a celebrity. His answer:

“This sort of move is not that uncommon where you can show the timing has a significant impact on earnings, etc.,” Sullivan said. “His kids and ex and IRS get a percentage of money he earns, so it is in everyone’s best interest to let him stay out to fight. For a day-to-day worker, it makes no difference since we work roughly 52 weeks a year.”

Now that Floyd's free to fight on May 5, who would you like to see him take on?

 

[Rumpelstiltskin]

Rios will be chasing Gamboa for a while. I doubt Gamboa will stand and trade with him, and Rios isn't too quick on his feet.

I still don't understand Williams vs Ishida. Can Williams degrade himself anymore? Goes from being feared at the top, to being floored by Martinez, getting a gift decision, and now fighting a one hit wonder. Not really the right way to build yourself back up...

PBF vs The Ghost.
I'll take it. It's really a matter of Floyd aging. If he still has it then it should be a breeze for him.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Bute vs Froch For April 14th, Rematch on August 4th

According to Canadian news agency QMI, a deal is nearly complete for a two-fight package involving super middleweights Lucian Bute and Carl Froch. The first of the two dates, April 14 in Montreal, would have Bute (30-0, 24 KOs) defending his IBF title against Froch, a former two-time WBC champion. The rematch, regardless of the outcome in the first bout, would take place in Froch's home court of Nottingham on August 4th.

 

[heyzel]

Arum: The plastic surgeon says Pacquiao can’t spar until April 1; he can’t fight Mayweather on May 5th
January 10th, 2012

By Chris Williams: Bob Arum is now saying that Las Vegas plastic surgeon Jeffrey Roth said that Manny Pacquiao can’t begin sparring until April 1st because of the cut that Roth personally stitched up on November 12th, according to Yahoo Sports.

Arum says that this makes it all but impossible for Pacquiao to be ready in time to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. on May 5th. Pacquiao said earlier on Monday that he wants to fight Mayweather next, and Arum responded to this news by saying he’d add Mayweather’s name to the four-fighter list that Arum has already assembled himself.

Arum said this to Yahoo Sports: “Jeffrey Roth is saying he [Pacquiao] should be good to go on April 1. If he’s fighting on May 5, that’s a problem, because he wouldn’t have time to spar.”

It’s interesting to note that Arum didn’t automatically say he will make the Mayweather-Pacquiao even after Pacquiao that’s the fight he wants. Instead Arum is saying he’ll certainly add Mayweather’s name to the list as if it’s something that he’ll be going over with Pacquiao.

It makes you wonder who’s in charge here. There shouldn’t be any discussion once a powerful fighter like Pacquiao says he wants something, but it looks like Arum is still resistant to the idea of matching Pacquiao up with Mayweather because he’s still talking about the four fighter list and now he’s got a plastic surgeon telling him that Pacquiao can’t even begin to start sparring until April 1st.

Whatever happened to getting a second opinion? According to Yahoo, the plastic surgeon is dating Arum’s stepdaughter. Shouldn’t Pacquiao be seeing a different doctor that’s not wrapped up in some way with his promoter’s family for this kind of thing? If I’m Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s advisor, that’s what I would be doing right about now unless Pacquiao is okay with just sitting around until June to fight one of the gang of four that Arum picked out for him. Even if I didn’t get the fight with Mayweather, I’d tell Arum want nothing to do with any of those four fighters he picked out. I’d pick out my own guys and work from there.

 

[heyzel]

Maidana with big speed disadvantage against Alexander
January 9th, 2012

By Eric Thomas: Marcos Maidana (31-2, 28 KO’s) will be moving up in weight to face Devon Alexander (22-1, 13 KO’s) next month in a fight at welterweight in the Scottrade Center in Saint Louis, Missouri.

Maidana is perfectly suited for fighting at 140lb, where his power gives him an advantage over the weaker fighters in the weight class. But when you put him at 147lbs, Maidana has few advantages and is more of just another fighter. He doesn’t have the hand speed that Alexander has going for him and will be facing a hostile pro-Alexander crowd.

Maidana will be Amir Khan fighting Lamont Peterson in Washington, DC. If Maidana can score a knockout to take the judges and the crowd out of the fight, then he should be okay here, but if he fails to do that then it’s going to be a long disappointing night for Maidana.

But he doesn’t have a lot of choices because he doesn’t attract huge numbers in his home country of Argentina and a between Maidana and Alexander probably wouldn’t draw flies if it were made in a neutral venue like Las Vegas, Nevada. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s going to have to probably knock Alexander out in order to win the fight.

Maidana won’t lose his WBA title if he gets beaten by Alexander because the fight is being held at 147lbs, so that’s a definite positive for him. But it won’t look good seeing Maidana get beaten again. He was already beaten by Andriy Kotelnik and Khan.

He fought well enough to win both fights but didn’t start early enough with his pressure for him to get the early rounds. Both fighters dominated Maidana in the first half of the fight and then saw him creep back into it with his power shots in the second half. Alexander fades badly in the second half of his fights and that could give Maidana a real chance of wearing him down and getting a stoppage here if his stamina holds up for the full 12.

 

[heyzel]

Saul Alvarez vs. Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight might be too difficult to put together due to money issues
January 9th, 2012

By Dan Ambrose: Manny Pacquiao is supposedly going to tell his promoter Bob Arum that he wants Floyd Mayweather Jr. next. However, I don’t see happening for a second. Arum will talk Pacquiao into taking one of the four fighters that he’s already come up with for Pacquiao to fight in June.

That leaves Mayweather looking for another opponent on May 5th. The list is pretty small with only Robert Guerrero and Saul Alvarez as potential choices for the 34-year-old Mayweather. It’s obvious that the best choice for Mayweather is the 21-year-old Alvarez because Guerrero doesn’t have a fan base outside of Northern California, despite a number of his fights having been televised on HBO in the past.

Sometimes it takes a while for a fighter to catch on with fans even when HBO is shoving the fighter down the throats of fans. Guerrero is a weak choice. But a fight between Alvarez and Mayweather could be undoable fight due to the big money that Mayweather is going to want for the fight.

He typically gets a huge percentage cut in his fights, but a lot of the reason for that is he’s facing lesser stars. Alvarez, 21, is a star in his own right and he’s not going to be willing to take a 10% cut while Mayweather walks away with 90%. I don’t think Alvarez would even take the fight if his cut was 30/70. He’s probably going to want at least 40% in a fight against Mayweather.

He’s not going to just take chump change for a fight where there’s a strong possibility he’s going to come out the loser. This is why I don’t think Alvarez-Mayweather is a doable fight. Mayweather needs an opponent that’s not a huge name and has no power to negotiate with him over the revenue split. Alvarez has too much power and it could make it all but impossible to negotiate this fight if all Mayweather is offering is between 10% to 20% for the May 5th fight.