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De La Hoya Says May 5th In Las Vegas Will Be “Mega-Event From Top To Bottom;” Looking For “Canelo’s” Next Foe
By James Slater: When the tickets go on sale for the fast-approaching May 5th fight card that will be topped by mega-star Floyd Mayweather Junior going up in weight to challenge reigning WBA light-middleweight king Miguel Cotto, they will disappear fast. Of that I’m sure. Not only is it always a big deal when “Money” fights, his fight with Cotto is probably the best fight the 34-year-old could have taken next to the one we all wanted with Manny Pacquiao.
Not only will the main event attract the fans, but fighter turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya is promising, via his Twitter page, that the May 5th night in Vegas will be “a mega-event from top to bottom.” As good as the main event is, it seems we can anticipate a stacked under-card.
One fighter who looks set to appear on the supporting bill is unbeaten Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the reigning WBC 154-pound champ. De La Hoya writes how he has “a few options for Canelo on May 5th.” Set for the biggest of big times and possibly being the fighter to take over from Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in the superstar stakes when the two mid-thirties greats have gone, 21-year-old Alvarez could fight Shane Mosley on May 5th, he could face his mandatory challenger James Kirkland, or he could face someone else entirely.
If Canelo does fight either of the two names listed above, there will be a chance the young warrior will steal a fair amount of the main event’s thunder. Imagine Alvarez Vs. Kirkland if you will. How could that match-up not thrill? Alvarez-Mosley isn’t quite as attractive, at least not in my opinion, but if Canelo were to become the first man to KO “Sugar” he would have made some statement (even if Mosley is past his best). Not only that, but Alavarez would even be in a position to be able to call out Mayweather again, having done something “Money” was unable to do.
I think the May 5th card, dominated as it will rightly be by Mayweather-Cotto, will be the night when Alvarez reaches genuine star status. Forget Mayweather-Pacquiao (as many fans have by now, as sick as they are of the farce that the match-up has become in terms of it simply not being made already!) - it could be that the next mega, mega-fight is Mayweather Vs. Alvarez.
I wonder what other support bouts/fighters De La Hoya and co have in mind for the May 5th show. It will also be interesting (and perhaps somewhat scary) seeing how much a ringside ticket will go for for the Cinco de Mayo weekend fight ca
By James Slater: When the tickets go on sale for the fast-approaching May 5th fight card that will be topped by mega-star Floyd Mayweather Junior going up in weight to challenge reigning WBA light-middleweight king Miguel Cotto, they will disappear fast. Of that I’m sure. Not only is it always a big deal when “Money” fights, his fight with Cotto is probably the best fight the 34-year-old could have taken next to the one we all wanted with Manny Pacquiao.
Not only will the main event attract the fans, but fighter turned promoter Oscar De La Hoya is promising, via his Twitter page, that the May 5th night in Vegas will be “a mega-event from top to bottom.” As good as the main event is, it seems we can anticipate a stacked under-card.
One fighter who looks set to appear on the supporting bill is unbeaten Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, the reigning WBC 154-pound champ. De La Hoya writes how he has “a few options for Canelo on May 5th.” Set for the biggest of big times and possibly being the fighter to take over from Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao in the superstar stakes when the two mid-thirties greats have gone, 21-year-old Alvarez could fight Shane Mosley on May 5th, he could face his mandatory challenger James Kirkland, or he could face someone else entirely.
If Canelo does fight either of the two names listed above, there will be a chance the young warrior will steal a fair amount of the main event’s thunder. Imagine Alvarez Vs. Kirkland if you will. How could that match-up not thrill? Alvarez-Mosley isn’t quite as attractive, at least not in my opinion, but if Canelo were to become the first man to KO “Sugar” he would have made some statement (even if Mosley is past his best). Not only that, but Alavarez would even be in a position to be able to call out Mayweather again, having done something “Money” was unable to do.
I think the May 5th card, dominated as it will rightly be by Mayweather-Cotto, will be the night when Alvarez reaches genuine star status. Forget Mayweather-Pacquiao (as many fans have by now, as sick as they are of the farce that the match-up has become in terms of it simply not being made already!) - it could be that the next mega, mega-fight is Mayweather Vs. Alvarez.
I wonder what other support bouts/fighters De La Hoya and co have in mind for the May 5th show. It will also be interesting (and perhaps somewhat scary) seeing how much a ringside ticket will go for for the Cinco de Mayo weekend fight ca
Arum: If Donaire beats Vazquez Jr., he’ll fight Arce, Nishioka and Rigondeaux
February 2nd, 2012
Photo: Adrian Hernandez – By Chris Williams: It looks like former two-division world champion Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KO’s) may ultimately fight WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KO’s) after all, as Donaire and Rigondeaux’s promoter, Bob Arum, told RingTV that Donaire will get to Rigondeaux if Donaire gets by Vazquez Jr., Jorge Arce and Toshiaki Nishioka.
Arum told RingTV “If Nonito wins the fight, then his next fight will be against Arce…Nishioka’s involved [with Donaire's future plans] and factors in, and Rigondeaux factors in.”
There are a lot of ifs involved, to be sure, but those guys aren’t all that tough compared to Rigondeaux, so Donaire, 29, should be able to beat them. However, Donaire is unproven at super bantamweight and he might not even get past Vazquez Jr. this Saturday night in their fight at the Alamodome in San Atonio, Texas.
A lot of boxing fans are already counting Vazquez Jr. as a win for Donaire but I’m not so certain. If you look at how easily Vazquez Jr. was handling Jorge Arce last May until running out of gas and getting stopped in the 12th round. Vazquez Jr. has excellent size and power and could give Donaire a beating if he’s aggressive like Rafael Concepcion was in his fight with Donaire in 2009.
Donaire was roughed up for 12 rounds by a heavier, stronger Concepcion in that fight and was forced to run when the going got tough in the last four rounds to win. I had Concepcion losing by a couple of rounds but it showed you how vulnerable Donaire is as fighter. If he’s unable to hurt a guy or land his left hook cleanly, he’s a sitting duck and become a vulnerable.
Vazquez Jr. is a pretty rugged guy and likes to fight in the kind of brawling bouts that Donaire prefers. The difference here is that Vazquez Jr. has a naturally bigger frame and has a lower center of gravity compared to the stork-like 5’7” Donaire.
If Vazquez Jr. can land some of his big right hands, he could have the slender-necked Donaire’s head whiplashing on his shoulders like one of those bobbin dolls. A loss for Donaire will give him a good lesson not to look past his opposition to fights into the future
February 2nd, 2012
Photo: Adrian Hernandez – By Chris Williams: It looks like former two-division world champion Nonito Donaire (27-1, 18 KO’s) may ultimately fight WBA World super bantamweight champion Guillermo “The Jackal” Rigondeaux (9-0, 7 KO’s) after all, as Donaire and Rigondeaux’s promoter, Bob Arum, told RingTV that Donaire will get to Rigondeaux if Donaire gets by Vazquez Jr., Jorge Arce and Toshiaki Nishioka.
Arum told RingTV “If Nonito wins the fight, then his next fight will be against Arce…Nishioka’s involved [with Donaire's future plans] and factors in, and Rigondeaux factors in.”
There are a lot of ifs involved, to be sure, but those guys aren’t all that tough compared to Rigondeaux, so Donaire, 29, should be able to beat them. However, Donaire is unproven at super bantamweight and he might not even get past Vazquez Jr. this Saturday night in their fight at the Alamodome in San Atonio, Texas.
A lot of boxing fans are already counting Vazquez Jr. as a win for Donaire but I’m not so certain. If you look at how easily Vazquez Jr. was handling Jorge Arce last May until running out of gas and getting stopped in the 12th round. Vazquez Jr. has excellent size and power and could give Donaire a beating if he’s aggressive like Rafael Concepcion was in his fight with Donaire in 2009.
Donaire was roughed up for 12 rounds by a heavier, stronger Concepcion in that fight and was forced to run when the going got tough in the last four rounds to win. I had Concepcion losing by a couple of rounds but it showed you how vulnerable Donaire is as fighter. If he’s unable to hurt a guy or land his left hook cleanly, he’s a sitting duck and become a vulnerable.
Vazquez Jr. is a pretty rugged guy and likes to fight in the kind of brawling bouts that Donaire prefers. The difference here is that Vazquez Jr. has a naturally bigger frame and has a lower center of gravity compared to the stork-like 5’7” Donaire.
If Vazquez Jr. can land some of his big right hands, he could have the slender-necked Donaire’s head whiplashing on his shoulders like one of those bobbin dolls. A loss for Donaire will give him a good lesson not to look past his opposition to fights into the future
Ellerbe: Mayweather didn’t want Cotto drained for the fight
February 2nd, 2012
By Chris Williams: Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellberbe explained why Floyd Mayweather Jr. agreed to fight WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto at the full 154 lbs instead of a catchweight that Manny Pacquiao previously used to beat Cotto with, saying o Mlive.com “He [Mayweather] didn’t want to fight him [Cotto] at a catchweight, he wanted to fight at the weight [154lbs]. Sometimes, you don’t get full credit when you fight at a catchweight. Floyd wanted to make sure Miguel was comfortable.”
I don’t know of any fighter that ever gets credit for beating another one when they need a catchweight handicap to beat them. I know Pacquiao beat Cotto with a handicap catchweight of 145lbs to win the World Boxing Organization title. Pacquiao also beat Antonio Margarito at a catchweight of 150lbs to win the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Margarito looked weak from having to drain down to the 150 pound weight to fight the Filipino star.
Ellberbe commented on Pacquiao’s catchweight win over Cotto in 2009, saying to mlive.com “He [Cotto] was a dead man walking when he went into the ring. The casual fan doesn’t know what difference one or two pounds can make when a fighter is already down to weight.”
Ellberbe is absolutely correct. Cotto was already as low as he could get just to make 147lbs, but when they pressured him to come in even lower, it caused Cotto to strip off badly needed weight and left him looking painfully think and weak by the time the fight started. In looking back at the fight, you can’t even recognize Cotto to the way he looks now because he’s so much healthier looking now that he’s not weight drained like he was back then. That was so wrong that Cotto was pressured to fight at 145 when he was the champion. How do you get a champion to drain down to fight a challenger? It should have been Pacquiao to fight at the full weight or not at all. I don’t consider that a real loss for Cotto because of the catchweight. It’s an asterisk win for Pacquiao as far as I’m concerned and I see it as a no contest for Cotto. It shouldn’t even count. Catchweight fights are exhibition bouts in my mind.
Cotto was stopped by Margarito in the 11th round in 2008, but Ellberbe feels that Margarito may have won that fight with loaded gloves. He thinks there was too much damage done to Cotto in that fight.
If you look at it from Ellberbe’s perspective, Cotto is still an unbeaten fighter because he fought Pacquiao at a strength draining catchweight that helped Pacquiao while hurting himself badly, and Cotto’s loss to Margarito is also suspect because you don’t know if it was a legit win or not.
February 2nd, 2012
By Chris Williams: Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellberbe explained why Floyd Mayweather Jr. agreed to fight WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto at the full 154 lbs instead of a catchweight that Manny Pacquiao previously used to beat Cotto with, saying o Mlive.com “He [Mayweather] didn’t want to fight him [Cotto] at a catchweight, he wanted to fight at the weight [154lbs]. Sometimes, you don’t get full credit when you fight at a catchweight. Floyd wanted to make sure Miguel was comfortable.”
I don’t know of any fighter that ever gets credit for beating another one when they need a catchweight handicap to beat them. I know Pacquiao beat Cotto with a handicap catchweight of 145lbs to win the World Boxing Organization title. Pacquiao also beat Antonio Margarito at a catchweight of 150lbs to win the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. Margarito looked weak from having to drain down to the 150 pound weight to fight the Filipino star.
Ellberbe commented on Pacquiao’s catchweight win over Cotto in 2009, saying to mlive.com “He [Cotto] was a dead man walking when he went into the ring. The casual fan doesn’t know what difference one or two pounds can make when a fighter is already down to weight.”
Ellberbe is absolutely correct. Cotto was already as low as he could get just to make 147lbs, but when they pressured him to come in even lower, it caused Cotto to strip off badly needed weight and left him looking painfully think and weak by the time the fight started. In looking back at the fight, you can’t even recognize Cotto to the way he looks now because he’s so much healthier looking now that he’s not weight drained like he was back then. That was so wrong that Cotto was pressured to fight at 145 when he was the champion. How do you get a champion to drain down to fight a challenger? It should have been Pacquiao to fight at the full weight or not at all. I don’t consider that a real loss for Cotto because of the catchweight. It’s an asterisk win for Pacquiao as far as I’m concerned and I see it as a no contest for Cotto. It shouldn’t even count. Catchweight fights are exhibition bouts in my mind.
Cotto was stopped by Margarito in the 11th round in 2008, but Ellberbe feels that Margarito may have won that fight with loaded gloves. He thinks there was too much damage done to Cotto in that fight.
If you look at it from Ellberbe’s perspective, Cotto is still an unbeaten fighter because he fought Pacquiao at a strength draining catchweight that helped Pacquiao while hurting himself badly, and Cotto’s loss to Margarito is also suspect because you don’t know if it was a legit win or not.
Cotto sees himself hauling in $30 million for the Mayweather bout
February 2nd, 2012
By Jason Kim: I’m not precisely sure what WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto received for his fight against Manny Pacquiao three years ago, but I seriously doubt it’s as much as Cotto stands to make in his May 5th fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to fightnews.com, Cotto sees himself getting as much as $30 million in the mega fight after the pay per view and gate tallies are in. This is from a 65/35 purse split with Mayweather, which is a pretty fair deal.
If the fight does really well on PPV, then Cotto will be sitting pretty with a huge check to deposit after he gets paid. And if Cotto is somehow able to pull off an upset win, he’ll get even more money in a rematch with Mayweather. You know and I know there would absolutely be a rematch involved if Mayweather get beat, because he would immediately be looking to avenge it and boxing fans would scoop up tickets and purchase the fight on PPV in high numbers.
Cotto did really well to sign for the Mayweather fight rather than let himself get pressured into a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, which would have taken place at 147 because of Pacquiao’s refusal to fight over that weight. Cotto would have made a lot of money in that fight as well, but he’d have gone into the bout badly weakened from having to drain down to make the weight.
Rakhim Chakhkiev undergoes successful elbow surgery
Undefeated cruiserweight contender Rakhim Chakhkiev (12-0, 9 KO’s) reportedly underwent successful elbow surgery on his left elbow to remove three bone chips that were floating around in his elbow and causing him pain on Thursday, in Hamburg, Germany, according to fight news. Chakhkiev should be getting out of the hospital soon and will start planning for his next fight. Chakhkiev recently defeated Alexander Kotlobay by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision last month.
February 2nd, 2012
By Jason Kim: I’m not precisely sure what WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto received for his fight against Manny Pacquiao three years ago, but I seriously doubt it’s as much as Cotto stands to make in his May 5th fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
According to fightnews.com, Cotto sees himself getting as much as $30 million in the mega fight after the pay per view and gate tallies are in. This is from a 65/35 purse split with Mayweather, which is a pretty fair deal.
If the fight does really well on PPV, then Cotto will be sitting pretty with a huge check to deposit after he gets paid. And if Cotto is somehow able to pull off an upset win, he’ll get even more money in a rematch with Mayweather. You know and I know there would absolutely be a rematch involved if Mayweather get beat, because he would immediately be looking to avenge it and boxing fans would scoop up tickets and purchase the fight on PPV in high numbers.
Cotto did really well to sign for the Mayweather fight rather than let himself get pressured into a rematch with Manny Pacquiao, which would have taken place at 147 because of Pacquiao’s refusal to fight over that weight. Cotto would have made a lot of money in that fight as well, but he’d have gone into the bout badly weakened from having to drain down to make the weight.
Rakhim Chakhkiev undergoes successful elbow surgery
Undefeated cruiserweight contender Rakhim Chakhkiev (12-0, 9 KO’s) reportedly underwent successful elbow surgery on his left elbow to remove three bone chips that were floating around in his elbow and causing him pain on Thursday, in Hamburg, Germany, according to fight news. Chakhkiev should be getting out of the hospital soon and will start planning for his next fight. Chakhkiev recently defeated Alexander Kotlobay by a lopsided 12 round unanimous decision last month.
Arum: 10,000 tickets sold, 13,000 expected for Chavez-Rubio bout on Saturday at the Alamodome
February 2nd, 2012
Photo credit: Alma Montiel – By Dan Ambrose: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is incredibly happy with the amount of tickets sold for Saturday’s bout between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KO’s) and challenger Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KO’s) at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas.
Chavez-Rubio will be the feature bout on the HBO televised bout, and Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will be the co-feature in a fight for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title. Arum says that 10,000 tickets have sold for the fight, according to Dan Rafael, and he expects 13,000 to be sold by Saturday night. That’s a respectable number for a card like this as none of the fighters involved are at the super star level as of yet.
Chavez Jr. , the son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, will be making his second defense of his World Boxing Council belt against the veteran Rubio, and Chavez sees a win in this fight to be proof that he’s arrived as a fighter and is one of the best in the division.
Chavez Jr. is already the best but the division is very weak now that Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham have moved up in weight, so it’s not quite as big of an accomplishment as would have been four years ago when the division was a lot healthier.
Jermain Taylor is making a comeback so hopefully he can get a fight against Chavez Jr. and/or Rubio in the future because there just isn’t enough talent in the middleweight division to have a champion seem like an actual champion rather than a paper champ, which is how Chavez Jr. is perceived.
Chavez Jr. can’t keep getting steered around the best fighter in the division in Sergio Martinez. Arum is keeping Chavez Jr. on top by maneuvering around Martinez, but it’s preventing Chavez Jr. from gaining the respect from boxing fans that actually have some knowledge about the sport.
This will be a huge win for Chavez Jr. if he can pull it off tomorrow night. Rubio probably isn’t in the same class as Sergio Martinez, Gennady Golovkin, Felix Sturm, Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, Andy Lee, Darren Barker, Daniel Geale, Dmitry Pirog, Sebastian Zbik, Osumanu Adama, or Gzegorz Proksa, but he’s definitely a top 13 contender. A win over him will at least put Chavez Jr. in the top 13 in the division. A loss will prove what many boxing fans already think of Chavez Jr., that he’s a paper champion that is parading around Sergio Martinez’s WBC belt as a pretend champion and protected by the WBC.
February 2nd, 2012
Photo credit: Alma Montiel – By Dan Ambrose: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is incredibly happy with the amount of tickets sold for Saturday’s bout between WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KO’s) and challenger Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KO’s) at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas.
Chavez-Rubio will be the feature bout on the HBO televised bout, and Nonito Donaire vs. Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. will be the co-feature in a fight for the vacant WBO super bantamweight title. Arum says that 10,000 tickets have sold for the fight, according to Dan Rafael, and he expects 13,000 to be sold by Saturday night. That’s a respectable number for a card like this as none of the fighters involved are at the super star level as of yet.
Chavez Jr. , the son of boxing legend Julio Cesar Chavez, will be making his second defense of his World Boxing Council belt against the veteran Rubio, and Chavez sees a win in this fight to be proof that he’s arrived as a fighter and is one of the best in the division.
Chavez Jr. is already the best but the division is very weak now that Kelly Pavlik and Arthur Abraham have moved up in weight, so it’s not quite as big of an accomplishment as would have been four years ago when the division was a lot healthier.
Jermain Taylor is making a comeback so hopefully he can get a fight against Chavez Jr. and/or Rubio in the future because there just isn’t enough talent in the middleweight division to have a champion seem like an actual champion rather than a paper champ, which is how Chavez Jr. is perceived.
Chavez Jr. can’t keep getting steered around the best fighter in the division in Sergio Martinez. Arum is keeping Chavez Jr. on top by maneuvering around Martinez, but it’s preventing Chavez Jr. from gaining the respect from boxing fans that actually have some knowledge about the sport.
This will be a huge win for Chavez Jr. if he can pull it off tomorrow night. Rubio probably isn’t in the same class as Sergio Martinez, Gennady Golovkin, Felix Sturm, Matthew Macklin, Martin Murray, Andy Lee, Darren Barker, Daniel Geale, Dmitry Pirog, Sebastian Zbik, Osumanu Adama, or Gzegorz Proksa, but he’s definitely a top 13 contender. A win over him will at least put Chavez Jr. in the top 13 in the division. A loss will prove what many boxing fans already think of Chavez Jr., that he’s a paper champion that is parading around Sergio Martinez’s WBC belt as a pretend champion and protected by the WBC.
Victor Ortiz-Amir Khan: This Fight Makes Sense Right Now!
By James Slater: Amir Khan was hoping to face Lamont Peterson in a return fight of their December 2011 thriller in his next fight, yet the sequel didn’t materialise (and may never do so). Victor Ortiz was just days away from his rematch with the man he beat in yet another thriller last April, in Andre Berto, yet the fight fell through due to a Berto bicep injury.
So, we now have the unexpected situation of both guys having no next opponent lined up. Berto will not be ready to rumble for some time, and Ortiz said his next fight will not be against Berto anyway; while Lamont Peterson appears headed towards a big fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Here’s an idea: why don’t “King” Khan and “Vicious” Victor fight each other next?
The fight makes sense in so many ways. Both men have exciting styles, Khan wants to go up to Ortiz’ weight class of 147-pounds anyway, the two have a history (Khan defeated a somewhat inexperienced Ortiz as an amateur some years back) and both men like and respect one another. Also, the fight should be a relatively easy one to make seeing how both boxers are promoted by Golden Boy. With no fight in the immediate pipeline for either guy, the two fighters could come to the rescue of each other.
I’m sure the fight would prove a hit with fans, wherever it took place. Neither guy is under-card material anymore, therefore a big stage would need to be found for the two to headline on if they did agree to fight each other. Both men are hungry for a big fight right now, and with neither man about to get the fight they really want, the time is right for something that would be a whole lot more than a mere time filler.
Ortiz, win or lose against Khan, would then move ahead with his return with Berto. Khan, win or lose, would have tested the waters at welterweight. But who would win if Khan and Ortiz got it on? Ortiz, proven as a welter, has the edge in power. Khan, who holds that unpaid win over Ortiz, is the faster fighter, with better boxing skills. I think the styles of the two men would gel well.
In terms of common opponent, Khan did better than Ortiz in beating Marcos Maidana, who made Ortiz quit. If the formbook were to be obeyed, I’d have to go with Khan - who had no trouble with the southpaw stance when he met Zab Judah - to win a real battle with the man from Oxnard. Khan to get up from the floor to win a close decision? That’s my pick.
By James Slater: Amir Khan was hoping to face Lamont Peterson in a return fight of their December 2011 thriller in his next fight, yet the sequel didn’t materialise (and may never do so). Victor Ortiz was just days away from his rematch with the man he beat in yet another thriller last April, in Andre Berto, yet the fight fell through due to a Berto bicep injury.
So, we now have the unexpected situation of both guys having no next opponent lined up. Berto will not be ready to rumble for some time, and Ortiz said his next fight will not be against Berto anyway; while Lamont Peterson appears headed towards a big fight with Juan Manuel Marquez. Here’s an idea: why don’t “King” Khan and “Vicious” Victor fight each other next?
The fight makes sense in so many ways. Both men have exciting styles, Khan wants to go up to Ortiz’ weight class of 147-pounds anyway, the two have a history (Khan defeated a somewhat inexperienced Ortiz as an amateur some years back) and both men like and respect one another. Also, the fight should be a relatively easy one to make seeing how both boxers are promoted by Golden Boy. With no fight in the immediate pipeline for either guy, the two fighters could come to the rescue of each other.
I’m sure the fight would prove a hit with fans, wherever it took place. Neither guy is under-card material anymore, therefore a big stage would need to be found for the two to headline on if they did agree to fight each other. Both men are hungry for a big fight right now, and with neither man about to get the fight they really want, the time is right for something that would be a whole lot more than a mere time filler.
Ortiz, win or lose against Khan, would then move ahead with his return with Berto. Khan, win or lose, would have tested the waters at welterweight. But who would win if Khan and Ortiz got it on? Ortiz, proven as a welter, has the edge in power. Khan, who holds that unpaid win over Ortiz, is the faster fighter, with better boxing skills. I think the styles of the two men would gel well.
In terms of common opponent, Khan did better than Ortiz in beating Marcos Maidana, who made Ortiz quit. If the formbook were to be obeyed, I’d have to go with Khan - who had no trouble with the southpaw stance when he met Zab Judah - to win a real battle with the man from Oxnard. Khan to get up from the floor to win a close decision? That’s my pick.
Sturm looking for permission from WBA to fight Zbik on April 13th instead of Golovkin
February 3rd, 2012
By Dan Ambrose: WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (36-2-2, 15 KO’s) is looking to get permission from the World Boxing Association to bypass his mandatory challenger Gennady Golovkin in order to take on #2 World Boxing Association ranked contender and former WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik (30-1, 10 KO’s) on April 13th, according to German news site Bild.de.
Sturm, 33, is expected to receive permission to skip the Golovkin bout, which should give the long-time champion Sturm a fairly chance of winning this fight and holding onto his WBA title for a little while longer. It’s remarkable that Sturm has been able to retain the title this long, as he appeared to get beaten in his last two fights against Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray.
However, both fights took place in Germany and Sturm was able to retain his titles in both fights by beating Macklin by a very controversial 12 round split decision last year in June, and then fight to an equally controversial 12 round draw with Murray last December. Sturm likely won’t last too much longer as the WBA champion. Once he has to fight someone like Andy Lee, #3 WBA, or Golovkin, the jig will probably be up. Sturm has held the WBA title since 2007 and has faced largely weaker mediocre opposition during that time, as the WBA has ranked some very limited fighters. Sturm never went out of his way to take on anyone that could potentially beat him like Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor, Andy Lee, Dmitry Pirog, Gennady Golovkin, Kelly Pavlik, Hassan N N’Jikam, Marco Antonio Rubio, Darren Barker, Sergio Martinez or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. during all these years.
Zbik, 29, briefly held the World Boxing Council middleweight title after having the title given to him without a fight by the WBC, who stripped former champion Sergio Martinez of his title for not defending it against Zbik. In his first defense, Zbik was beaten by Chavez Jr. last June. Zbik hasn’t fought since then.
It sure works out well for Zbik. He loses his WBC title to Chavez Jr., sits around and does nothing for 10 months, and then is given another title shot, this time against Sturm. It doesn’t get any better than this. It’s too bad the WBA is going to cave in and let Sturm bypass the Golovkin fight to take on a fighter like Zbik who was just beaten. It seems like the much better fight for boxing would be Sturm-Golovkin. Zbik can’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag and will likely be outpointed by Sturm, but Golovkin can really punch and he would give Sturm a beating no matter what happens in that fight.
Sturm looks to be ducking the Golovkin fight for as long as he can. I just wonder how much longer before the WBA finally forces Sturm to fight him?
February 3rd, 2012
By Dan Ambrose: WBA Super World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (36-2-2, 15 KO’s) is looking to get permission from the World Boxing Association to bypass his mandatory challenger Gennady Golovkin in order to take on #2 World Boxing Association ranked contender and former WBC middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik (30-1, 10 KO’s) on April 13th, according to German news site Bild.de.
Sturm, 33, is expected to receive permission to skip the Golovkin bout, which should give the long-time champion Sturm a fairly chance of winning this fight and holding onto his WBA title for a little while longer. It’s remarkable that Sturm has been able to retain the title this long, as he appeared to get beaten in his last two fights against Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray.
However, both fights took place in Germany and Sturm was able to retain his titles in both fights by beating Macklin by a very controversial 12 round split decision last year in June, and then fight to an equally controversial 12 round draw with Murray last December. Sturm likely won’t last too much longer as the WBA champion. Once he has to fight someone like Andy Lee, #3 WBA, or Golovkin, the jig will probably be up. Sturm has held the WBA title since 2007 and has faced largely weaker mediocre opposition during that time, as the WBA has ranked some very limited fighters. Sturm never went out of his way to take on anyone that could potentially beat him like Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor, Andy Lee, Dmitry Pirog, Gennady Golovkin, Kelly Pavlik, Hassan N N’Jikam, Marco Antonio Rubio, Darren Barker, Sergio Martinez or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. during all these years.
Zbik, 29, briefly held the World Boxing Council middleweight title after having the title given to him without a fight by the WBC, who stripped former champion Sergio Martinez of his title for not defending it against Zbik. In his first defense, Zbik was beaten by Chavez Jr. last June. Zbik hasn’t fought since then.
It sure works out well for Zbik. He loses his WBC title to Chavez Jr., sits around and does nothing for 10 months, and then is given another title shot, this time against Sturm. It doesn’t get any better than this. It’s too bad the WBA is going to cave in and let Sturm bypass the Golovkin fight to take on a fighter like Zbik who was just beaten. It seems like the much better fight for boxing would be Sturm-Golovkin. Zbik can’t punch his way out of a wet paper bag and will likely be outpointed by Sturm, but Golovkin can really punch and he would give Sturm a beating no matter what happens in that fight.
Sturm looks to be ducking the Golovkin fight for as long as he can. I just wonder how much longer before the WBA finally forces Sturm to fight him?
Hearn working on Barker vs. Pirog fight for HBO
February 3rd, 2012
By Sean McDaniel: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn revealed on Sky Ringside the other night that he’s in deep talks with WBO middleweight champion Dmitriy Pirog’s management in setting up a clash between Hearn’s fighter middleweight contender Darren Barker (23-1, 14 KO’s) and Pirog (19-0, 15 KO’s) for a fight that would take place on HBO. I think it would be a good fight for both guys.
Pirog, 31, hasn’t fought since stopping contender Gennady Martirosyan in the 10th round last September in his second defense of his World Boxing Organization title. Pirog won the vacant title with a 5th round TKO win over previously highly hyped contender Daniel Jacobs in July 2010. He followed that win with a 12 round unanimous decision win over Javier Fanciso Macial in March 2011.
Barker, 29, lost his last fight against Sergio Martinez last October, losing by an 11th round TKO in a fairly close fight on two of the judges’ scorecards. The problem Barker had in that fight was that he fought way too conservatively and failed to take the chances he needed to in order to win. He fought well enough to lose and Martinez never got out of second gear in beating him.
In a fight against Pirog, Barker might have problems with all of the angles that Pirog would be showing him, not to mention his big power as well. Pirog is like a white Floyd Mayweather Jr. He does a lot of the same things that Mayweather, only slower and with more power.
It would be tough on Barker to fight a guy that is kind of all over the place giving a lot of different looks in terms of angles and changing his fighting stance from orthodox to southpaw constantly. I’m sure Barker has sparred with a lot of guys like this in the past, but the difference here is Pirog has got a lot of power and would be fighting at a much faster pace than what Martinez set out for Barker in their fight.
February 3rd, 2012
By Sean McDaniel: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn revealed on Sky Ringside the other night that he’s in deep talks with WBO middleweight champion Dmitriy Pirog’s management in setting up a clash between Hearn’s fighter middleweight contender Darren Barker (23-1, 14 KO’s) and Pirog (19-0, 15 KO’s) for a fight that would take place on HBO. I think it would be a good fight for both guys.
Pirog, 31, hasn’t fought since stopping contender Gennady Martirosyan in the 10th round last September in his second defense of his World Boxing Organization title. Pirog won the vacant title with a 5th round TKO win over previously highly hyped contender Daniel Jacobs in July 2010. He followed that win with a 12 round unanimous decision win over Javier Fanciso Macial in March 2011.
Barker, 29, lost his last fight against Sergio Martinez last October, losing by an 11th round TKO in a fairly close fight on two of the judges’ scorecards. The problem Barker had in that fight was that he fought way too conservatively and failed to take the chances he needed to in order to win. He fought well enough to lose and Martinez never got out of second gear in beating him.
In a fight against Pirog, Barker might have problems with all of the angles that Pirog would be showing him, not to mention his big power as well. Pirog is like a white Floyd Mayweather Jr. He does a lot of the same things that Mayweather, only slower and with more power.
It would be tough on Barker to fight a guy that is kind of all over the place giving a lot of different looks in terms of angles and changing his fighting stance from orthodox to southpaw constantly. I’m sure Barker has sparred with a lot of guys like this in the past, but the difference here is Pirog has got a lot of power and would be fighting at a much faster pace than what Martinez set out for Barker in their fight.
yeah I think Ortiz has gotten pretty big and he's probably too powerful for Khan. Khan will get caught and KO'd eventually.
I think Khan should stay at 140 for a while longer. If he can't get the Peterson rematch right away (I think Marquez-Peterson is going to happen at the Cowboys stadium), then he should try and fight the Maidana-Alexander winner.
I think Khan should stay at 140 for a while longer. If he can't get the Peterson rematch right away (I think Marquez-Peterson is going to happen at the Cowboys stadium), then he should try and fight the Maidana-Alexander winner.
Arum says he has no hard feelings about Cotto signing to fight Mayweather instead of Pacquiao
February 3rd, 2012
By Chris Williams: As it turns out it may have been a stroke of luck that Miguel Cotto’s contract with Top Rank expired as of December 31st last year, as if he was still with the company his scheduled May 5th big money fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. would likely be little more than a dream, as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum would have in most probability put the clamps on keeping Cotto from fighting Mayweather Jr.
Instead, Cotto would be faced with the prospects of either agreeing to fight Top Rank fighter Manny Pacquiao at the 147lbs that Pacquiao requested or have to settle for whoever else Arum could dig up from his Top Rank stable, which it this point is looking kind of barren around the welterweight to junior middleweight level in terms of star fighters.
Arum told this to examiner.com writer Chris Robinson “He [Cotto] has to look out for himself, his family; I have absolutely not the least bit of animosity to Miguel. Miguel took the position that he was a free agent. We didn’t contest it, so we’re free agents also and we’ll make the best deal possible for our company.”
Sounds like Arum is trying to keep the door open for Cotto continuing to work with him in the future as a free agent. It’s a smart move by Arum, because if he was to start spouting off by bad-mouthing Cotto over this, he’d be making it very likely that Cotto wouldn’t bother working with him again in the future. Pacquiao is left with few choices of interesting fights and will probably have to fight Timothy Bradley now.
At least this way he can possibly still use Cotto for a future fight against Pacquiao if Cotto doesn’t look too bad against Mayweather Jr. on May 5th. Of course, a bad loss for Cotto will make it necessary for Arum to wait a considerable amount of time before he puts him back in with his Filipino star.
Arum has matched Pacquiao up against a fighter coming off of a loss in the past when he put Pacquiao in with Joshua Clottey, so you can’t really rule out Arum doing this. However, I think it would make him look a little silly if he does this. Arum might as well drag out Antonio Margarito for another fight with Pacquiao if he’s going to be willing to put Cotto in with Pacquiao off of a big loss to Mayweather.
I don’t think it’s possible given how little time left Pacquiao has left in the sport, but Arum doesn’t have much in the way of marketable fighters at welterweight and junior middleweight. Cotto, even coming off of a knockout loss to Mayweather, would still be a lot more popular than anyone else Arum has going for him to fight Pacquiao.
February 3rd, 2012
By Chris Williams: As it turns out it may have been a stroke of luck that Miguel Cotto’s contract with Top Rank expired as of December 31st last year, as if he was still with the company his scheduled May 5th big money fight against Floyd Mayweather Jr. would likely be little more than a dream, as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum would have in most probability put the clamps on keeping Cotto from fighting Mayweather Jr.
Instead, Cotto would be faced with the prospects of either agreeing to fight Top Rank fighter Manny Pacquiao at the 147lbs that Pacquiao requested or have to settle for whoever else Arum could dig up from his Top Rank stable, which it this point is looking kind of barren around the welterweight to junior middleweight level in terms of star fighters.
Arum told this to examiner.com writer Chris Robinson “He [Cotto] has to look out for himself, his family; I have absolutely not the least bit of animosity to Miguel. Miguel took the position that he was a free agent. We didn’t contest it, so we’re free agents also and we’ll make the best deal possible for our company.”
Sounds like Arum is trying to keep the door open for Cotto continuing to work with him in the future as a free agent. It’s a smart move by Arum, because if he was to start spouting off by bad-mouthing Cotto over this, he’d be making it very likely that Cotto wouldn’t bother working with him again in the future. Pacquiao is left with few choices of interesting fights and will probably have to fight Timothy Bradley now.
At least this way he can possibly still use Cotto for a future fight against Pacquiao if Cotto doesn’t look too bad against Mayweather Jr. on May 5th. Of course, a bad loss for Cotto will make it necessary for Arum to wait a considerable amount of time before he puts him back in with his Filipino star.
Arum has matched Pacquiao up against a fighter coming off of a loss in the past when he put Pacquiao in with Joshua Clottey, so you can’t really rule out Arum doing this. However, I think it would make him look a little silly if he does this. Arum might as well drag out Antonio Margarito for another fight with Pacquiao if he’s going to be willing to put Cotto in with Pacquiao off of a big loss to Mayweather.
I don’t think it’s possible given how little time left Pacquiao has left in the sport, but Arum doesn’t have much in the way of marketable fighters at welterweight and junior middleweight. Cotto, even coming off of a knockout loss to Mayweather, would still be a lot more popular than anyone else Arum has going for him to fight Pacquiao.
arum is shady guy obviously, but he did a GREAT job with Cotto. Obviously he got him with the best names at 147 in judah, mosley, clottey, pacquiao, and after the bad loss, he totally reinvented cotto with getting him an intimidate title shot against Foreman, had a very financially successful, entertaining fight yet low risk fight with Mayorga, then of course the margarito rematch which cotto looked brilliant in. Bob partially got him the floyd fight.
I would actually like to see Ortiz-Khan over Ortiz- Maidana-Alexander winner which imo would be Maidana. Maidana Seems like a much more dangerous opponent than Khan and with Khan coming out of a great controversial fight. And Ortiz aswell would be that much more better both wanting to prove they are great enough..
Props to Khan he said he's down to fight Ortiz
"I fought him as an amateur, 16 or 17 [years-old] I was. We were young then. He was the champion of America and going to the qualifications for the Olympics. I fought him just before that and I stopped him in the second round. The score was like 22-2, [they stopped it on] the twenty point rule. As a pro he developed so much power, speed and he's come on a lot. It would be a fight that I would take. I wouldn't say no to it. When we were at 140, we were looking at fighting each other then. At 147, definitely, I think it would be an ideal fight for me. He did beat Berto and I just heard that his rematch with Berto was called off. Maybe my next fight could be against him, who knows," Khan said.
"I fought him as an amateur, 16 or 17 [years-old] I was. We were young then. He was the champion of America and going to the qualifications for the Olympics. I fought him just before that and I stopped him in the second round. The score was like 22-2, [they stopped it on] the twenty point rule. As a pro he developed so much power, speed and he's come on a lot. It would be a fight that I would take. I wouldn't say no to it. When we were at 140, we were looking at fighting each other then. At 147, definitely, I think it would be an ideal fight for me. He did beat Berto and I just heard that his rematch with Berto was called off. Maybe my next fight could be against him, who knows," Khan said.
Arum: I see Mayweather-Pacquiao doing 3 million PPV buys
February 3rd, 2012
By Chris Williams: Bob Arum says he hopes that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be ready to iron out a deal for a November fight against Manny Pacquiao in the near future, but that Mayweather is going to have to agree to the 50-50 deal that was originally agreed to by both fighters in the past.
Arum sees the fight as breaking pay per view records and coming in at 3 million buys, according to the Manila Standard.
Arum said “I believe the fight [Mayweather-Pacquiao] will do 3 million pay-per-view homes in the United States and Canada and the gate is going to be tremendous…Hopefully when out fight [Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley] is set in June, his fight [Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto] is now set for May, we will sit down sensibly without a lot of pressure and plan a fight if both are successful for November.”
It sounds good but Arum is going to have to get Pacquiao to come in with a smaller cut if the fight is going to be made. Mayweather is clearly showing now that he’s the better fighter and will bring in huge PPV numbers for his May 5th fight against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Once Mayweather’s big PPV numbers are released and Pacquiao’s much less impressive figures for his June 9th bout against Tim Bradley come out, it will no longer even be open for debate who deserves the bigger cut of the revenue. Not only that but if Pacquiao struggles against Bradley and Mayweather easily beats Cotto, that will be just one more reason why Mayweather will deserve the bigger share of the pie against Pacquiao.
Arum needs to stress this point across to his fighter Pacquiao and make him realize that he’s going to have to give in and take the smaller money, possibly even a lot smaller to get the Mayweather fight. The advantages for Pacquiao will be huge. He’ll still get by far the biggest payday of his career by twofold and he’ll be able to be a part of a fight that will very likely break the old PPV record of 2.4 million PPV buys from the Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya fight in 2007.
However, the longer that Pacquiao waits the less money he’ll likely get in an eventual Mayweather fight because boxing fans are starting to lose interest in this fight and Pacquiao is starting to slip in terms of his skills. Pacquiao almost lost to a near 40-year-old lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight, and many people thought he should have lost that fight. That’s not because Marquez is improving; it’s because Pacquiao is starting to lose his legs through age. Another bad performance like the last one and Pacquiao will be lucky to get an 80-20 deal with Mayweather. If Bradley beats Pacquiao, then the gravy train will be slowing way down and Arum won’t be able to come to the bargaining table asking for a 50-50 deal without being laughed out of the room.
And as far as Arum insisting on an outdoor 40,000 seat arena being built for the Pacquiao-Mayweather; that’s a big no. It isn’t going to happen in some cheap rinky-dink contraption with porta potties instead of bath rooms.
February 3rd, 2012
By Chris Williams: Bob Arum says he hopes that Floyd Mayweather Jr. will be ready to iron out a deal for a November fight against Manny Pacquiao in the near future, but that Mayweather is going to have to agree to the 50-50 deal that was originally agreed to by both fighters in the past.
Arum sees the fight as breaking pay per view records and coming in at 3 million buys, according to the Manila Standard.
Arum said “I believe the fight [Mayweather-Pacquiao] will do 3 million pay-per-view homes in the United States and Canada and the gate is going to be tremendous…Hopefully when out fight [Pacquiao vs. Timothy Bradley] is set in June, his fight [Mayweather vs. Miguel Cotto] is now set for May, we will sit down sensibly without a lot of pressure and plan a fight if both are successful for November.”
It sounds good but Arum is going to have to get Pacquiao to come in with a smaller cut if the fight is going to be made. Mayweather is clearly showing now that he’s the better fighter and will bring in huge PPV numbers for his May 5th fight against Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Once Mayweather’s big PPV numbers are released and Pacquiao’s much less impressive figures for his June 9th bout against Tim Bradley come out, it will no longer even be open for debate who deserves the bigger cut of the revenue. Not only that but if Pacquiao struggles against Bradley and Mayweather easily beats Cotto, that will be just one more reason why Mayweather will deserve the bigger share of the pie against Pacquiao.
Arum needs to stress this point across to his fighter Pacquiao and make him realize that he’s going to have to give in and take the smaller money, possibly even a lot smaller to get the Mayweather fight. The advantages for Pacquiao will be huge. He’ll still get by far the biggest payday of his career by twofold and he’ll be able to be a part of a fight that will very likely break the old PPV record of 2.4 million PPV buys from the Mayweather vs. Oscar De La Hoya fight in 2007.
However, the longer that Pacquiao waits the less money he’ll likely get in an eventual Mayweather fight because boxing fans are starting to lose interest in this fight and Pacquiao is starting to slip in terms of his skills. Pacquiao almost lost to a near 40-year-old lightweight Juan Manuel Marquez in his last fight, and many people thought he should have lost that fight. That’s not because Marquez is improving; it’s because Pacquiao is starting to lose his legs through age. Another bad performance like the last one and Pacquiao will be lucky to get an 80-20 deal with Mayweather. If Bradley beats Pacquiao, then the gravy train will be slowing way down and Arum won’t be able to come to the bargaining table asking for a 50-50 deal without being laughed out of the room.
And as far as Arum insisting on an outdoor 40,000 seat arena being built for the Pacquiao-Mayweather; that’s a big no. It isn’t going to happen in some cheap rinky-dink contraption with porta potties instead of bath rooms.
INTERVIEW: PROMOTER ANDRE DIRRELL
By John McCormick
"Fighting Bute in Canada is non-negotiable"
JM: Andre, how does it feel to have left your promoter Gary Shaw and advisor Al Haymon, and become independently promoted? What made you want to make that decision in the first place?
Andre Dirrell: “Honestly just believing in myself. Knowing that I could get this thing going on my own. I have a great team. My Grandfather proposed it to me and said we could call it Team Dirrell promotional company. He took the lead on it and I followed it. My uncle came up with a great game plan and we figured this would be what was best for us so we took off and we are starting off from there. I have a great team.”
JM: I have been hearing rumors circulating about a possible fight between Lucian Bute and yourself materializing. What is the latest with that?
AD: “As far as I am concerned I am ready for that. I do know for a fact that Showtime is very interested in that fight. If that fight was to happen it would be a great boost for me. Andre Dirrell and Lucian Bute would be something to see in 2012. Bute is a great champion, and he has the credibility. We are looking to make that fight happen sometime this year hopefully.”
JM: Is going to Canada to fight Bute completely non-negotiable for you?
AD: “It is non-negotiable. It isn’t because Canadians sit there and rob you, it isn’t because of Canada. They will rob you wherever. The hype will be around him just like Carl Froch, the hype was all around him [Dirrell lost a close decision to Carl Froch in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England]. The crowd plays a big role and a big factor in the fight. When you put pressure on a guy and you are the hometown fighter, the judge can look at that and say well that’s great execution and it’s all because the crowd is going crazy. Meanwhile you really did nothing. I honestly want to just have a fair fight on [neutral] ground. He is the champion and I am the challenger. If he believes he is a champion and that he has what it takes, then let's fight on [neutral] ground. I am not saying come to my backyard, but we can go to California and do it. Let’s do it somewhere mutual, wherever it is. I have had situations like this in the past, like the situation with Carl Froch. I believe I beat him, the world knows I beat him, I’m past all of that now but I don’t really want another one of those situations. I know I did what I had to do and it bothered me a lot to lose that fight the way it happened in the first round of the Super Six. If Bute doesn’t want to fight me in my hometown, we will go somewhere mutual. He should want to prove himself. He’s fought in Canada a million times already, it is time for him to come out and expand his horizons."
JM: How disappointing was that Froch loss to you [it was by split decision in October 2009]? Do you still think about it or does it still haunt you?
AD: “Of course I still think about it, I don’t dwell on it though. There is a big difference between those two. If I dwelled on it and let it get to me, it would’ve drained me mentally and it would’ve taken a toll on me in the Abraham fight. It didn’t though and you saw how good I looked in that fight [Editor's note: Dirrell defeated Abraham in March 2010 by disqualification; Dirrell was comfortably ahead on all scorecards]. I learned from it. I know I won the fight but at the same time I know there was more I could’ve done to make it clearer. Nottingham did me a favor. I see it for what it is now and I know that I have great fights ahead of me, a great family, and great fans. I still have that one loss on my record but my Grandfather says it best when he says I was cheated but never defeated. Look at Roy Jones when he was in the limelight in the prime of his career. He didn’t go across seas because he knew how dirty it was. I don’t want to pick up on that and I don’t want to put it on anybody else, all I am saying is lets be fair and keep it on mutual ground. If you are a champion, be a champion. I’m done with the past; it’s time for the future.”
JM: Unfortunately the injury in the Abraham fight derailed your original plans in the Super Six. After your exit from the tournament did it play out the way you envisioned?
AD: “I knew Andre Ward was going to win because I know how talented Andre Ward is. I know that he doesn’t have a style that a lot of people like, as does Bernard Hopkins. They always get the job done though. Ward looked excellent against Carl Froch, he looked excellent against Abraham. I really applaud him because he did an excellent job. I knew Carl Froch was going to be in the finals, and I think Kessler could’ve been in the finals instead had he not had an eye injury. I originally thought it would be a rematch between Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler in the finals but Kessler had to back out and once he did, I knew Carl Froch would be in the finals. I applaud both Andre Ward and Carl Froch, they both made it to the finals and they should be placed on a pedestal.”
JM: I recently spoke to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and asked him who he thought the future's best pound-for-pound fighters would be. He named you and Andre Ward as being the best pound-for-pound fighters in the years to come. How do you feel about that?
AD: “That feels great. That really feels great. I get a lot of support from the Mayweathers. My last camp was out in Las Vegas and I trained at Floyd’s gym and I seen him a few times. He would stop and give me words of wisdom. Above all he would always tell me that I am going to be alright because I am a boxer and I know how to box. But hearing that Floyd Sr. said that about me feels great because he is one of the top coaches in the world and he really knows his boxing. I still want to be number one though. I want to be above Andre Ward, and make it where Floyd Sr. says well Andre Dirrell is number one. I don’t believe in saying may the best man win, I believe the hardest working man with most desire will win. If you fight in the top spot, you have to earn it. You can’t come to a fight and say hopefully I will knock him out or hopefully I will have a good night. You have to work hard to be the best you can be and get over that hump. Hearing that from Floyd Sr. will encourage me to work even harder. I know he isn’t saying that I am the best, but he is saying that I will be.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
AD: “I am glad to be back. It is an honor to be on boxingtalk, so thanks for having me on. I want all the fans to look out for Andre Dirrell in 2012. I will be taking over from this point on. I am really excited and I can’t wait to continue to show the world what I can do. I’m doing this for Flint. Flint Town sta
By John McCormick
"Fighting Bute in Canada is non-negotiable"
JM: Andre, how does it feel to have left your promoter Gary Shaw and advisor Al Haymon, and become independently promoted? What made you want to make that decision in the first place?
Andre Dirrell: “Honestly just believing in myself. Knowing that I could get this thing going on my own. I have a great team. My Grandfather proposed it to me and said we could call it Team Dirrell promotional company. He took the lead on it and I followed it. My uncle came up with a great game plan and we figured this would be what was best for us so we took off and we are starting off from there. I have a great team.”
JM: I have been hearing rumors circulating about a possible fight between Lucian Bute and yourself materializing. What is the latest with that?
AD: “As far as I am concerned I am ready for that. I do know for a fact that Showtime is very interested in that fight. If that fight was to happen it would be a great boost for me. Andre Dirrell and Lucian Bute would be something to see in 2012. Bute is a great champion, and he has the credibility. We are looking to make that fight happen sometime this year hopefully.”
JM: Is going to Canada to fight Bute completely non-negotiable for you?
AD: “It is non-negotiable. It isn’t because Canadians sit there and rob you, it isn’t because of Canada. They will rob you wherever. The hype will be around him just like Carl Froch, the hype was all around him [Dirrell lost a close decision to Carl Froch in Froch's hometown of Nottingham, England]. The crowd plays a big role and a big factor in the fight. When you put pressure on a guy and you are the hometown fighter, the judge can look at that and say well that’s great execution and it’s all because the crowd is going crazy. Meanwhile you really did nothing. I honestly want to just have a fair fight on [neutral] ground. He is the champion and I am the challenger. If he believes he is a champion and that he has what it takes, then let's fight on [neutral] ground. I am not saying come to my backyard, but we can go to California and do it. Let’s do it somewhere mutual, wherever it is. I have had situations like this in the past, like the situation with Carl Froch. I believe I beat him, the world knows I beat him, I’m past all of that now but I don’t really want another one of those situations. I know I did what I had to do and it bothered me a lot to lose that fight the way it happened in the first round of the Super Six. If Bute doesn’t want to fight me in my hometown, we will go somewhere mutual. He should want to prove himself. He’s fought in Canada a million times already, it is time for him to come out and expand his horizons."
JM: How disappointing was that Froch loss to you [it was by split decision in October 2009]? Do you still think about it or does it still haunt you?
AD: “Of course I still think about it, I don’t dwell on it though. There is a big difference between those two. If I dwelled on it and let it get to me, it would’ve drained me mentally and it would’ve taken a toll on me in the Abraham fight. It didn’t though and you saw how good I looked in that fight [Editor's note: Dirrell defeated Abraham in March 2010 by disqualification; Dirrell was comfortably ahead on all scorecards]. I learned from it. I know I won the fight but at the same time I know there was more I could’ve done to make it clearer. Nottingham did me a favor. I see it for what it is now and I know that I have great fights ahead of me, a great family, and great fans. I still have that one loss on my record but my Grandfather says it best when he says I was cheated but never defeated. Look at Roy Jones when he was in the limelight in the prime of his career. He didn’t go across seas because he knew how dirty it was. I don’t want to pick up on that and I don’t want to put it on anybody else, all I am saying is lets be fair and keep it on mutual ground. If you are a champion, be a champion. I’m done with the past; it’s time for the future.”
JM: Unfortunately the injury in the Abraham fight derailed your original plans in the Super Six. After your exit from the tournament did it play out the way you envisioned?
AD: “I knew Andre Ward was going to win because I know how talented Andre Ward is. I know that he doesn’t have a style that a lot of people like, as does Bernard Hopkins. They always get the job done though. Ward looked excellent against Carl Froch, he looked excellent against Abraham. I really applaud him because he did an excellent job. I knew Carl Froch was going to be in the finals, and I think Kessler could’ve been in the finals instead had he not had an eye injury. I originally thought it would be a rematch between Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler in the finals but Kessler had to back out and once he did, I knew Carl Froch would be in the finals. I applaud both Andre Ward and Carl Froch, they both made it to the finals and they should be placed on a pedestal.”
JM: I recently spoke to Floyd Mayweather Sr. and asked him who he thought the future's best pound-for-pound fighters would be. He named you and Andre Ward as being the best pound-for-pound fighters in the years to come. How do you feel about that?
AD: “That feels great. That really feels great. I get a lot of support from the Mayweathers. My last camp was out in Las Vegas and I trained at Floyd’s gym and I seen him a few times. He would stop and give me words of wisdom. Above all he would always tell me that I am going to be alright because I am a boxer and I know how to box. But hearing that Floyd Sr. said that about me feels great because he is one of the top coaches in the world and he really knows his boxing. I still want to be number one though. I want to be above Andre Ward, and make it where Floyd Sr. says well Andre Dirrell is number one. I don’t believe in saying may the best man win, I believe the hardest working man with most desire will win. If you fight in the top spot, you have to earn it. You can’t come to a fight and say hopefully I will knock him out or hopefully I will have a good night. You have to work hard to be the best you can be and get over that hump. Hearing that from Floyd Sr. will encourage me to work even harder. I know he isn’t saying that I am the best, but he is saying that I will be.”
JM: Any closing thoughts for the fans?
AD: “I am glad to be back. It is an honor to be on boxingtalk, so thanks for having me on. I want all the fans to look out for Andre Dirrell in 2012. I will be taking over from this point on. I am really excited and I can’t wait to continue to show the world what I can do. I’m doing this for Flint. Flint Town sta
dirrell vs bute is a great fight but dirrell is the challenger if bute doesn't want to fight in america you gotta take that belt from bute, i.e bernard hopkins vs jean pascal. The money bute generates in canada is massive, plus he is a PPV fighter over there so it's a lot of money. Bute vs Dirrell will do over 20,000 tickets sold easily in canada whereas they fight in the states it's 4,000-5,000 tickets at best.
I really think Bute needs to fight in america but if dirrell is the opponent (and not andre ward) then dirrell needs to realize he's the challenger.
If it's andre ward then bute needs to fight ward in america since ward is the unified & lineal champ
I really think Bute needs to fight in america but if dirrell is the opponent (and not andre ward) then dirrell needs to realize he's the challenger.
If it's andre ward then bute needs to fight ward in america since ward is the unified & lineal champ