Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
floyd could beat chavez even with the weight. 20 pounds that's old school stuff like henry armstrong or ray Robinson weighing in at 147 at a middleweight fight. hell margarito had 20 pounds on pac.
the only thing with floyd now is for whatever reason he doesn't seem to use his legs like he used to. he doesn't box and move, the last few fights he's more james toney staying in the pocket, shoulder rolling and countering away.
the only thing with floyd now is for whatever reason he doesn't seem to use his legs like he used to. he doesn't box and move, the last few fights he's more james toney staying in the pocket, shoulder rolling and countering away.
ADRIEN BRONER DID WHAT HE HAD TO DO…I’M GETTING SICK AND TIRED OF SOME OF THESE MEDIA
August 8th, 2012 | by Peter Quillin
You know, in my last fight, I came in a little bit over. What it is, you do it so long…I don’t think these fighters are not dedicated or anything. It’s about how disciplined these fighters are. If you disciplined, you shouldn’t have a problem making weight, but Adrien Broner did what he had to do and spoke honestly about why he couldn’t make the weight. He said throughout the week it’s time to move up, and as long as he is honest like that, people shouldn’t downplay it. It comes a time and a place in your career where you gotta understand you can’t make the weight, so it took him to get to this fight to understand that he can’t make the weight anymore and it’s time to go up. And I’m going to support him 100% because I think he is still a good fighter, awesome fighter, and very exciting to watch. As far as his business, I think he will get that conducted and out the way and he gonna get back to what’s important and that’s winning these fights.
Check this out, I’m getting sick and tired of all of some of these motherfuckers in the media saying this and that about something they don’t fucking know about. These motherfuckers that be saying all this shit don’t know shit about what they talking about. Like I think that’s the style of the writers. The writers will get a certain side and point it out to the viewers or whatever the case may be. But these guys get too involved with the boxers lives and what they do. I put my shit and what I do 100%. I’m emotionally attached to it, I always think about it, and I just hate when people come out of nowhere and talk about shit that they don’t fucking really know about. The dude said he can’t make the weight no more, so do he sit around and train when he’s out of training and have time with his family? Should he still be training to figure out if he can make 130 pounds? What does he do? He had to get prepared for a fight because when we get ready for these fights, we try to get ready to be in the best shape of our life, if a fighter train like me. So the only way you know you can’t make the weight no more is when you trying your hardest to bring down the weight. If you training hard and can’t bring the weight down, what do you do? You either try your best to make the weight and then know that after the fight you can or not, or you get your butt on the scale like Broner did and move out of that weight class and be great in another weight class and people forget you missed the weight. I think the most important thing for the media to pay attention to and support is good fights, regardless if the out of the ring stuff gets a little crazy. If you see a good fight, I think you should judge it like that. I mean, don’t go away from boxing. You don’t go away from basketball because you think the officials is working with Miami, do you? You talk about it, but then you go and watch the next game, so that’s what I think people should do with boxing. No matter what they see in a fighter’s personal life…because that’s what these guys who are more in tune don’t like. Like Floyd don’t like media getting into his personal life and he never gets too involved in that shit. When they see him in the ring and he’s fighting for all of those things, his family and all of that personal stuff, that’s what he’s fighting for when he’s in the ring. He does it to support that.
I know I’m venting a little bit, but I got into it with these writers because, hey man, listen I needed somebody to fight for me when I was sleeping on my nigga’s floor. I was sleeping on his fucking floor and I had nowhere to go. Nobody had nothing to write about me or say to me then, but now everybody wanna tell me how to be better. I’m like, that’s the time when I needed people telling me how to be better when I was sleeping on somebody’s floor and how to get off the fucking floor. But I did that by myself and I had to figure out why was it important for me to be off that floor. I wanted to do things like I’m doing now. I see writers say shit like, “He didn’t even try to lose the weight and it was only 2 pounds.” Yeah, but he already done lost 30 motherfucking pounds. Like me for instance, I walk around at 174 pounds, so when I’m walking around, I still look in shape; I just look like a big nigga. When I’m in shape, I’m slimmed out, my muscles is bulging out, and I’m not that far off from my weight class. Even when I’m looking like a big nigga, I’m not more than 11 pounds away from my weight. When I’m training and losing this weight, I’m starting to maintain my weight at 167 pounds, and then it drops to 164 and I fluctuate between those weights. After that, it’s really like, how much more weight can I lose when I don’t have nothing on me? It’s only water weight after that, so now I’m cutting weight with the water that I got. I have to get down as low as I can, which is 160 pounds. It takes a lot of mental to deal with that type of shit that people can’t deal with that are not fighters. A lot of these writers like to respect us for being a fighter when they are not a fighter. It’s one thing to try to imagine how to be a fighter, but the only thing you can never say is how a punch feel to your jaw. You gotta know that there are certain things that you cannot write about because you can’t relate to it. I can’t mention certain writers that really do that a lot, and they got a fan base from doing that type of shit, but I believe that’s just fabricating what’s really going on in the sport.
August 8th, 2012 | by Peter Quillin
You know, in my last fight, I came in a little bit over. What it is, you do it so long…I don’t think these fighters are not dedicated or anything. It’s about how disciplined these fighters are. If you disciplined, you shouldn’t have a problem making weight, but Adrien Broner did what he had to do and spoke honestly about why he couldn’t make the weight. He said throughout the week it’s time to move up, and as long as he is honest like that, people shouldn’t downplay it. It comes a time and a place in your career where you gotta understand you can’t make the weight, so it took him to get to this fight to understand that he can’t make the weight anymore and it’s time to go up. And I’m going to support him 100% because I think he is still a good fighter, awesome fighter, and very exciting to watch. As far as his business, I think he will get that conducted and out the way and he gonna get back to what’s important and that’s winning these fights.
Check this out, I’m getting sick and tired of all of some of these motherfuckers in the media saying this and that about something they don’t fucking know about. These motherfuckers that be saying all this shit don’t know shit about what they talking about. Like I think that’s the style of the writers. The writers will get a certain side and point it out to the viewers or whatever the case may be. But these guys get too involved with the boxers lives and what they do. I put my shit and what I do 100%. I’m emotionally attached to it, I always think about it, and I just hate when people come out of nowhere and talk about shit that they don’t fucking really know about. The dude said he can’t make the weight no more, so do he sit around and train when he’s out of training and have time with his family? Should he still be training to figure out if he can make 130 pounds? What does he do? He had to get prepared for a fight because when we get ready for these fights, we try to get ready to be in the best shape of our life, if a fighter train like me. So the only way you know you can’t make the weight no more is when you trying your hardest to bring down the weight. If you training hard and can’t bring the weight down, what do you do? You either try your best to make the weight and then know that after the fight you can or not, or you get your butt on the scale like Broner did and move out of that weight class and be great in another weight class and people forget you missed the weight. I think the most important thing for the media to pay attention to and support is good fights, regardless if the out of the ring stuff gets a little crazy. If you see a good fight, I think you should judge it like that. I mean, don’t go away from boxing. You don’t go away from basketball because you think the officials is working with Miami, do you? You talk about it, but then you go and watch the next game, so that’s what I think people should do with boxing. No matter what they see in a fighter’s personal life…because that’s what these guys who are more in tune don’t like. Like Floyd don’t like media getting into his personal life and he never gets too involved in that shit. When they see him in the ring and he’s fighting for all of those things, his family and all of that personal stuff, that’s what he’s fighting for when he’s in the ring. He does it to support that.
I know I’m venting a little bit, but I got into it with these writers because, hey man, listen I needed somebody to fight for me when I was sleeping on my nigga’s floor. I was sleeping on his fucking floor and I had nowhere to go. Nobody had nothing to write about me or say to me then, but now everybody wanna tell me how to be better. I’m like, that’s the time when I needed people telling me how to be better when I was sleeping on somebody’s floor and how to get off the fucking floor. But I did that by myself and I had to figure out why was it important for me to be off that floor. I wanted to do things like I’m doing now. I see writers say shit like, “He didn’t even try to lose the weight and it was only 2 pounds.” Yeah, but he already done lost 30 motherfucking pounds. Like me for instance, I walk around at 174 pounds, so when I’m walking around, I still look in shape; I just look like a big nigga. When I’m in shape, I’m slimmed out, my muscles is bulging out, and I’m not that far off from my weight class. Even when I’m looking like a big nigga, I’m not more than 11 pounds away from my weight. When I’m training and losing this weight, I’m starting to maintain my weight at 167 pounds, and then it drops to 164 and I fluctuate between those weights. After that, it’s really like, how much more weight can I lose when I don’t have nothing on me? It’s only water weight after that, so now I’m cutting weight with the water that I got. I have to get down as low as I can, which is 160 pounds. It takes a lot of mental to deal with that type of shit that people can’t deal with that are not fighters. A lot of these writers like to respect us for being a fighter when they are not a fighter. It’s one thing to try to imagine how to be a fighter, but the only thing you can never say is how a punch feel to your jaw. You gotta know that there are certain things that you cannot write about because you can’t relate to it. I can’t mention certain writers that really do that a lot, and they got a fan base from doing that type of shit, but I believe that’s just fabricating what’s really going on in the sport.
Chad Dawson: “I am the best at 175 and I will be the best at 168”
By Jason Gonzalez, MaxBoxing (Aug 8, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
-
Chad Dawson
It’s always a win-win situation whenever you have two fighters on the mythical pound-for-pound list, both still their primes, face each other in the squared circle. On September 8, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, fight fans may very well witness 2012's most compelling match-up. If there is an adjective that could accurately describe the contest between light heavyweight kingpin “Bad” Chad Dawson and 2011's “Fighter of the Year” Andre “S.O.G.” Ward, it would be “intriguing.” Dawson, a southpaw, is coming off a huge victory over first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins in the spring. That said, not many are giving Dawson a chance to make the contractual weight of 168 pounds, let alone win the fight. Dawson, a legitimate 175-pounder, opted to move seven pounds south to challenge Ward, Showtime’s “Super Six” champion and linear champ, for his crown and supremacy at super middleweight.
So as head trainer “Iceman” John Scully helps Dawson prepare for the biggest and toughest challenge thus far in his career, Dawson is training under the big lights and scorching temperatures that rise into the triple digits in the Las Vegas desert. He is expecting to make a weight he hasn't fought at in over six years. As if that wasn't enough of a feat to accomplish, Dawson agreed to intrude hostile territory by accepting the terms to face Ward in his backyard of Oakland.
“First of all, there was no way that this fight was happening at a catchweight,” said Dawson, now 31-1 (17) with two no-contests, who exuded pinpoint swag that could be acquiesced even over phone. “Neither Andre Ward nor his camp agreed to coming up to light heavyweight or even fight at a catchweight. With a little more than a month away before the fight, I am currently weighing 179 pounds, just 11 pounds over the contractual weight of 168. I would make 175 easily without any dieting. True story, I would eat cheeseburgers, steaks, mashed potatoes; you name it. I will shock everyone when I make weight. I am looking forward to a great fight and becoming the next champ at super middle.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, New York-based boxing promoter Lou DiBella shared a few brilliant words with the press of “Gotham City” as he promoted the pay-per-view match-up between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez. “Making good fights in boxing shouldn't be rocket science.” Well put! Dawson's attitude is a testament to DiBella's mantra. The bottom line is, if fighters want to fight, ultimately they will regardless of the price paid or the sacrifice made. That doesn't say much for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao; now does it? But that's another story. And even though this match-up will make any purist or fight connoisseur salivate, the average fight fan is as indifferent as can be. Boxing fans are a walking contradiction. All too often, you hear fans complaining about how all the good matches are on pay-per-view and the working-class fan is ostracized due to exorbitant prices. The old adage says, “The customer is always right.” However, the customer has to be flexible. Here is a great fight syndicated on national television for free and yet people are still hatin.’ So let's get this straight; no one is giving a fighter with the capabilities of Dawson much of a chance in the contest and not many are interested in tuning in, even at no cost. Well, you can't win them all, huh?
“I am not going to sit here and say that I feel disrespected,” assessed the native of New Haven, Connecticut. “In fact, I won’t even say that I feel like I am being overlooked. Whoever wants to go see the fight is going to, so I am not overly concerned about that. But what I am having difficulty with is understanding why are the masses acting like [Andre] Ward is this invincible fighter that can't be beaten. Don't get me wrong; [Andre] Ward is a great fighter but he makes a lot of mistakes too. He is very flawed.”
In retrospect, hindsight is always 20/20. Reflecting on Dawson's career as a whole, you would be remiss to not acknowledge the fact that he gets busy in the squared circle. However, there were some bad moments for Dawson that even he would admit left much to be desired. In the rematch performances against Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, it was evident that both fights failed to deliver on the excitement that usually gets people talking about it at the water cooler on Monday mornings at work. And in the scrap against Jean Pascal, the general consensus was that Dawson had a really bad night. Dawson would lose to an opponent who was extremely limited, all around. It’s almost as if Dawson's Achilles Heel is the ability to stay focused over the course of 12 rounds. So maybe to some degree, the anti-Dawson sentiment is warranted. It does appear that he fights up to his competition.
“What the critics say about me goes in one ear and out the other,” said Dawson. “I mean, that's why they are called critics. They are paid to critique and find fault with everything; it’s their job. Everybody that's talking has no idea what I do. They have never been to my training camp. That's the reason why I don't go on blogs, the internet or read the newspaper. It doesn't interest me to see, hear or read what people are writing about me.”
If that truly is the case, Dawson wouldn't be the first athlete to put this practice into effect. But as a competitor, there is always that inner drive, the intrinsic motivation that serves as a great motivator to prove all of the naysayers wrong. Obviously, Dawson wouldn't be walking into the lion's den and dropping down to a weight very few outside of his camp feel he could make if he weren't looking to prove a point.
“Make no mistake about it; this is a very big fight for me,” Dawson told Maxboxing. “Andre Ward is a young fighter; he is 28. I am a young fighter; I just turned 30. These are the type of match-ups that I love and yearn for, the reason being that it brings out the best in me. We will bring out the best in each other.”
Who knows? Maybe the lapses in concentration Dawson has exhibited in the past may have been attributed to being bored. Albeit speculation, maybe Dawson experienced trouble getting up for fights in which meant nothing emotionally. Has Dawson ever been in the ring with an opponent deemed a threat to his professional ranking? Probably not. To reiterate, the “W” over Hopkins was huge. However, stylistically, it was brutal on the optics. Their styles did not mesh well at all, not to mention “B-Hop” was 47-years-old. Hopkins was clearly past his physical peak. However, as the saying goes, there is always a first time for everything. On paper, the scrap with Ward appears to be Dawson's toughest. He was a favorite to win both times against Hopkins. This time around, Dawson is now playing the role of underdog and, to some respect, villain.
“I have fought bigger and better guys,” said Dawson in an effort to support his claim as to why he will be victorious in “Raider Land.” “I have beaten the likes of [Antonio] Tarver twice, [Glen] Johnson twice and Bernard Hopkins. Even though these guys that I am mentioning may have been old - and, in the case of Hopkins, he was over the hill - but still, they are all Hall-of-Famers. I have beaten three Hall-of-Famers. I am just really surprised at how [Andre] Ward and his team are overlooking me.”
Dawson's argument may have some credence but, truth be told, those wins are in the past. Those victories didn't do much in raising his stock amongst the masses flocking over to support the awful MMA bandwagon. Case in point, many of the pundits and so-called experts are knocking this fight. They claim the outcome of the fight will be contingent on what both fighters bring to the ring next month. Both guys are counterpunchers who often fight off of their back legs. At the same time, this duel [Ward-Dawson] could be the reincarnation of Jermain Taylor vs. Winky Wright, which, if you remember, was a great fight that people slept on before and after the fact. Ward is expected to do his thing but will he bring the action to Dawson? Who knows?
“I can't say that as of yet,” said Dawson, who has a one-inch height advantage over his counterpart as well as a significant reach advantage. “I am looking forward toward the fight. I haven't been an underdog in a fight in a very long time. So what does that tell you? Here I am, 10 or 11 pounds away from making weight and people are just assuming that I can't make weight. Everyone thinks that I will be drained and dehydrated, that I will be weak. People are going to be real surprised. It's crazy how no one sees the errors that Ward makes. He gets on the inside and hits and holds. Just like Bernard [Hopkins]. I like to call him “Young Bernard”. If I can keep the fight on the outside and just box him, it will be an easy fight. There is no way that he can keep up with me by boxing. All I can say is to just tune in.”
Mi gente, this why they fight the fights. This why fans attend the fights. This is why we report on them. WWE Hall-of-Famer Ric Flair would say, “To be the man, you have to be the man.” And after everything that Ward achieved and accomplished in the 2011 calendar year, you would be insane to say he wasn't the man. It was apparent that the nature of the conversation reflected that Dawson was conscious of this fact.
“Ward is one of the best fighters in the world,” he would say. “I will capitalize on the opportunity. I am the best at 175 and I will be the best at 168. I want the best fights, so I will see what's available. If it’s Carl Froch, Lucian Bute or Kelly Pavlik, then we stay at ‘68. If its Mikkel Kessler, [Jean] Pascal, or [Tavoris] Cloud, then we go back up to ‘75.”
Jay Gon's Tidbits
- Dawson was really looking forward to the match-up between Pascal and Cloud. Dawson was anticipating a really good fight and was sad to hear that fight fell through. Dawson wishes Pascal a speedy recovery.
- Dawson's other favorite sport besides boxing is basketball.
- Dawson is an avid fan of the Miami Heat. He loves the pick-ups of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Dawson predicts that LeBron James will go on a rampage next season and earn his second ring.
- Dawson has been catching the Olympics here and there and said he has caught a couple of boxing matches, swimming races and “The Dream Team 2012” a few times.
- As a result of being in camp, Dawson hasn't been able to see any summer blockbusters. He did admit he is anxious to catch “The Dark Knight Rises” and may catch it this weekend. Dawson also shared that he was turned off to see the movie due to the fact that someone like James Holmes could do such a horrific thing. Dawson extended his sympathy and condolences to the shooting victims of Aurora, Colorado.
- Dawson is a hip-hop aficionado. He admits he is a big 50 Cent fan but that he is loving the G.O.O.D. Music movement of Kanye West, Big Sean and CyHi Da Prince. Dawson is also a fan of the Maybach Music Group with Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Wale and French Montana. Dawson says, “Ross isn't real lyrical but he makes great music!”
- Dawson is loving the new Nas Album “Life is Good.” “It’s a different type of album,” he said. “It’s a very soulful album. It’s a hip-hop classic. He took it back to “Illmatic.”
- Dawson feels Nas is an all-time great and he is in the top five regardless of era, age or time.
By Jason Gonzalez, MaxBoxing (Aug 8, 2012) Doghouse Boxing
-
Chad Dawson
It’s always a win-win situation whenever you have two fighters on the mythical pound-for-pound list, both still their primes, face each other in the squared circle. On September 8, at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California, fight fans may very well witness 2012's most compelling match-up. If there is an adjective that could accurately describe the contest between light heavyweight kingpin “Bad” Chad Dawson and 2011's “Fighter of the Year” Andre “S.O.G.” Ward, it would be “intriguing.” Dawson, a southpaw, is coming off a huge victory over first-ballot Hall-of-Famer Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins in the spring. That said, not many are giving Dawson a chance to make the contractual weight of 168 pounds, let alone win the fight. Dawson, a legitimate 175-pounder, opted to move seven pounds south to challenge Ward, Showtime’s “Super Six” champion and linear champ, for his crown and supremacy at super middleweight.
So as head trainer “Iceman” John Scully helps Dawson prepare for the biggest and toughest challenge thus far in his career, Dawson is training under the big lights and scorching temperatures that rise into the triple digits in the Las Vegas desert. He is expecting to make a weight he hasn't fought at in over six years. As if that wasn't enough of a feat to accomplish, Dawson agreed to intrude hostile territory by accepting the terms to face Ward in his backyard of Oakland.
“First of all, there was no way that this fight was happening at a catchweight,” said Dawson, now 31-1 (17) with two no-contests, who exuded pinpoint swag that could be acquiesced even over phone. “Neither Andre Ward nor his camp agreed to coming up to light heavyweight or even fight at a catchweight. With a little more than a month away before the fight, I am currently weighing 179 pounds, just 11 pounds over the contractual weight of 168. I would make 175 easily without any dieting. True story, I would eat cheeseburgers, steaks, mashed potatoes; you name it. I will shock everyone when I make weight. I am looking forward to a great fight and becoming the next champ at super middle.”
Just a couple of weeks ago, New York-based boxing promoter Lou DiBella shared a few brilliant words with the press of “Gotham City” as he promoted the pay-per-view match-up between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez. “Making good fights in boxing shouldn't be rocket science.” Well put! Dawson's attitude is a testament to DiBella's mantra. The bottom line is, if fighters want to fight, ultimately they will regardless of the price paid or the sacrifice made. That doesn't say much for Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao; now does it? But that's another story. And even though this match-up will make any purist or fight connoisseur salivate, the average fight fan is as indifferent as can be. Boxing fans are a walking contradiction. All too often, you hear fans complaining about how all the good matches are on pay-per-view and the working-class fan is ostracized due to exorbitant prices. The old adage says, “The customer is always right.” However, the customer has to be flexible. Here is a great fight syndicated on national television for free and yet people are still hatin.’ So let's get this straight; no one is giving a fighter with the capabilities of Dawson much of a chance in the contest and not many are interested in tuning in, even at no cost. Well, you can't win them all, huh?
“I am not going to sit here and say that I feel disrespected,” assessed the native of New Haven, Connecticut. “In fact, I won’t even say that I feel like I am being overlooked. Whoever wants to go see the fight is going to, so I am not overly concerned about that. But what I am having difficulty with is understanding why are the masses acting like [Andre] Ward is this invincible fighter that can't be beaten. Don't get me wrong; [Andre] Ward is a great fighter but he makes a lot of mistakes too. He is very flawed.”
In retrospect, hindsight is always 20/20. Reflecting on Dawson's career as a whole, you would be remiss to not acknowledge the fact that he gets busy in the squared circle. However, there were some bad moments for Dawson that even he would admit left much to be desired. In the rematch performances against Glen Johnson and Antonio Tarver, it was evident that both fights failed to deliver on the excitement that usually gets people talking about it at the water cooler on Monday mornings at work. And in the scrap against Jean Pascal, the general consensus was that Dawson had a really bad night. Dawson would lose to an opponent who was extremely limited, all around. It’s almost as if Dawson's Achilles Heel is the ability to stay focused over the course of 12 rounds. So maybe to some degree, the anti-Dawson sentiment is warranted. It does appear that he fights up to his competition.
“What the critics say about me goes in one ear and out the other,” said Dawson. “I mean, that's why they are called critics. They are paid to critique and find fault with everything; it’s their job. Everybody that's talking has no idea what I do. They have never been to my training camp. That's the reason why I don't go on blogs, the internet or read the newspaper. It doesn't interest me to see, hear or read what people are writing about me.”
If that truly is the case, Dawson wouldn't be the first athlete to put this practice into effect. But as a competitor, there is always that inner drive, the intrinsic motivation that serves as a great motivator to prove all of the naysayers wrong. Obviously, Dawson wouldn't be walking into the lion's den and dropping down to a weight very few outside of his camp feel he could make if he weren't looking to prove a point.
“Make no mistake about it; this is a very big fight for me,” Dawson told Maxboxing. “Andre Ward is a young fighter; he is 28. I am a young fighter; I just turned 30. These are the type of match-ups that I love and yearn for, the reason being that it brings out the best in me. We will bring out the best in each other.”
Who knows? Maybe the lapses in concentration Dawson has exhibited in the past may have been attributed to being bored. Albeit speculation, maybe Dawson experienced trouble getting up for fights in which meant nothing emotionally. Has Dawson ever been in the ring with an opponent deemed a threat to his professional ranking? Probably not. To reiterate, the “W” over Hopkins was huge. However, stylistically, it was brutal on the optics. Their styles did not mesh well at all, not to mention “B-Hop” was 47-years-old. Hopkins was clearly past his physical peak. However, as the saying goes, there is always a first time for everything. On paper, the scrap with Ward appears to be Dawson's toughest. He was a favorite to win both times against Hopkins. This time around, Dawson is now playing the role of underdog and, to some respect, villain.
“I have fought bigger and better guys,” said Dawson in an effort to support his claim as to why he will be victorious in “Raider Land.” “I have beaten the likes of [Antonio] Tarver twice, [Glen] Johnson twice and Bernard Hopkins. Even though these guys that I am mentioning may have been old - and, in the case of Hopkins, he was over the hill - but still, they are all Hall-of-Famers. I have beaten three Hall-of-Famers. I am just really surprised at how [Andre] Ward and his team are overlooking me.”
Dawson's argument may have some credence but, truth be told, those wins are in the past. Those victories didn't do much in raising his stock amongst the masses flocking over to support the awful MMA bandwagon. Case in point, many of the pundits and so-called experts are knocking this fight. They claim the outcome of the fight will be contingent on what both fighters bring to the ring next month. Both guys are counterpunchers who often fight off of their back legs. At the same time, this duel [Ward-Dawson] could be the reincarnation of Jermain Taylor vs. Winky Wright, which, if you remember, was a great fight that people slept on before and after the fact. Ward is expected to do his thing but will he bring the action to Dawson? Who knows?
“I can't say that as of yet,” said Dawson, who has a one-inch height advantage over his counterpart as well as a significant reach advantage. “I am looking forward toward the fight. I haven't been an underdog in a fight in a very long time. So what does that tell you? Here I am, 10 or 11 pounds away from making weight and people are just assuming that I can't make weight. Everyone thinks that I will be drained and dehydrated, that I will be weak. People are going to be real surprised. It's crazy how no one sees the errors that Ward makes. He gets on the inside and hits and holds. Just like Bernard [Hopkins]. I like to call him “Young Bernard”. If I can keep the fight on the outside and just box him, it will be an easy fight. There is no way that he can keep up with me by boxing. All I can say is to just tune in.”
Mi gente, this why they fight the fights. This why fans attend the fights. This is why we report on them. WWE Hall-of-Famer Ric Flair would say, “To be the man, you have to be the man.” And after everything that Ward achieved and accomplished in the 2011 calendar year, you would be insane to say he wasn't the man. It was apparent that the nature of the conversation reflected that Dawson was conscious of this fact.
“Ward is one of the best fighters in the world,” he would say. “I will capitalize on the opportunity. I am the best at 175 and I will be the best at 168. I want the best fights, so I will see what's available. If it’s Carl Froch, Lucian Bute or Kelly Pavlik, then we stay at ‘68. If its Mikkel Kessler, [Jean] Pascal, or [Tavoris] Cloud, then we go back up to ‘75.”
Jay Gon's Tidbits
- Dawson was really looking forward to the match-up between Pascal and Cloud. Dawson was anticipating a really good fight and was sad to hear that fight fell through. Dawson wishes Pascal a speedy recovery.
- Dawson's other favorite sport besides boxing is basketball.
- Dawson is an avid fan of the Miami Heat. He loves the pick-ups of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. Dawson predicts that LeBron James will go on a rampage next season and earn his second ring.
- Dawson has been catching the Olympics here and there and said he has caught a couple of boxing matches, swimming races and “The Dream Team 2012” a few times.
- As a result of being in camp, Dawson hasn't been able to see any summer blockbusters. He did admit he is anxious to catch “The Dark Knight Rises” and may catch it this weekend. Dawson also shared that he was turned off to see the movie due to the fact that someone like James Holmes could do such a horrific thing. Dawson extended his sympathy and condolences to the shooting victims of Aurora, Colorado.
- Dawson is a hip-hop aficionado. He admits he is a big 50 Cent fan but that he is loving the G.O.O.D. Music movement of Kanye West, Big Sean and CyHi Da Prince. Dawson is also a fan of the Maybach Music Group with Rick Ross, Meek Mill, Wale and French Montana. Dawson says, “Ross isn't real lyrical but he makes great music!”
- Dawson is loving the new Nas Album “Life is Good.” “It’s a different type of album,” he said. “It’s a very soulful album. It’s a hip-hop classic. He took it back to “Illmatic.”
- Dawson feels Nas is an all-time great and he is in the top five regardless of era, age or time.
You have to give credit to Manny for the beating he put on Cotto. But for someone to say the catchweight of 145lb didn't have a factor in the fight is just wrong. I will ask you this why did Manny have no problem fighting Oscar at 147lb in 2008, but not Cotto for Cotto's 147lb belt in 2009? If the catch weight didn't matter why ask for the catchweight in the first place? Manny has been using catchweights and making fighters drop in weight to his advantage for a while. 2lbs is hell if you're trying to make weight. Why is Manny scared to fight Cotto at his best with no weight draining?
James Toney Says U.S 2012 Olympic Team Was The “Worst Ever” – Lights Out Also Calls Out Tyson Fury
Published August 8, 2012 | By eastside | 28 Comments
By James Slater: James Toney, never a man to be lost for words, has launched a scathing attack on his country’s efforts at winning Olympic medals in boxing at London 2012. Speaking with Reuters, the 43-year-old former multi-weight king says the team that failed to win a single medal was “the worst ever.”
“Worst team ever,” Toney said. “B-Class. They weren’t worth watching, every single one of them was garbage.”
Toney has hardly shown class with his scathing remarks, but some people will agree with him. This is, of course, the first time America has failed to win a single medal at an Olympic games. Toney says he will offer his services for the next games, yet he added how he will be turned down.
“James Toney is too controversial,” he said in the third person. “I’m the last old-school fighter. I would clean the house out.”
The “last old-school fighter” is now planning his next bout, and he has called out unbeaten British giant Tyson Fury.
“I would love to fight Tyson Fury,” he stated. “I would travel to England and knock him out. I have five years left. I’m in the best shape I have been in ten years, passed every medical. Look at my record, [I’ve] beaten ten world champions. Vinny Maddalone (Fury’s last opponent, beaten via 5th-round TKO) was a C-Class fighter. Let’s get it on.”
Though he is way past his best (and, don’t forget, Toney was badly beaten by cruiserweight Denis Lebedev two fights ago, before returning to heavyweight to halt tough but limited journeyman Bobby Gunn), a Toney-Fury fight would likely appeal to a number of fans. And, though he is nowhere near the force he was going back to 2003 and before that, Toney would perhaps have enough cute moves to be able to give the still-learning Fury some problems.
Toney has never been stopped, so the opportunity of becoming the first man to flatten “Lights Out” might prove enticing to Fury. Toney would have to pass all U.K medicals for the fight to happen in England, however. The former middleweight king who noticeably slurs his words these days says he has “passed every test,” yet it would be interesting to see what would happen if the British Board gave him a full battery of tests. And as for Toney saying he’s “in the best shape I have been in ten years,” we’ve heard that before.
Toney could well try and fight on for a further five years, but he may well struggle to land the big fights; much less
Published August 8, 2012 | By eastside | 28 Comments
By James Slater: James Toney, never a man to be lost for words, has launched a scathing attack on his country’s efforts at winning Olympic medals in boxing at London 2012. Speaking with Reuters, the 43-year-old former multi-weight king says the team that failed to win a single medal was “the worst ever.”
“Worst team ever,” Toney said. “B-Class. They weren’t worth watching, every single one of them was garbage.”
Toney has hardly shown class with his scathing remarks, but some people will agree with him. This is, of course, the first time America has failed to win a single medal at an Olympic games. Toney says he will offer his services for the next games, yet he added how he will be turned down.
“James Toney is too controversial,” he said in the third person. “I’m the last old-school fighter. I would clean the house out.”
The “last old-school fighter” is now planning his next bout, and he has called out unbeaten British giant Tyson Fury.
“I would love to fight Tyson Fury,” he stated. “I would travel to England and knock him out. I have five years left. I’m in the best shape I have been in ten years, passed every medical. Look at my record, [I’ve] beaten ten world champions. Vinny Maddalone (Fury’s last opponent, beaten via 5th-round TKO) was a C-Class fighter. Let’s get it on.”
Though he is way past his best (and, don’t forget, Toney was badly beaten by cruiserweight Denis Lebedev two fights ago, before returning to heavyweight to halt tough but limited journeyman Bobby Gunn), a Toney-Fury fight would likely appeal to a number of fans. And, though he is nowhere near the force he was going back to 2003 and before that, Toney would perhaps have enough cute moves to be able to give the still-learning Fury some problems.
Toney has never been stopped, so the opportunity of becoming the first man to flatten “Lights Out” might prove enticing to Fury. Toney would have to pass all U.K medicals for the fight to happen in England, however. The former middleweight king who noticeably slurs his words these days says he has “passed every test,” yet it would be interesting to see what would happen if the British Board gave him a full battery of tests. And as for Toney saying he’s “in the best shape I have been in ten years,” we’ve heard that before.
Toney could well try and fight on for a further five years, but he may well struggle to land the big fights; much less
Golden Boy Promotions Inks Unbeaten Ivan Morales
Published August 8, 2012 | By eastside | 1 Comment
As the younger brother of legendary and future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales and former World Champion Diego “Pelucho” Morales, unbeaten junior bantamweight prospect Ivan Morales has some of the best bloodlines in the sport. Now with the signing of a promotional agreement with Golden Boy Promotions, he will also have the best backing as he chases after a world championship.
“As the brother of Erik and Diego Morales, you know that Ivan Morales learned to fight from the best, but he’s proven himself in the ring as well and I can’t wait to see how far he can go in the future,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “When you mix his technical skills, power and speed with his youth and determination, I have no doubt that Ivan will eventually be a world champion in multiple divisions.”
“Everyone knows that the best fighters in the world are on the Golden Boy team and I’m proud to be associated with them,” said Morales. “It’s an honor and I’m willing to put in the work and fight anyone they put in front of me to get there.”
Twenty-year-old Ivan Morales (17-0, 12 KO’s) pays homage to his eldest sibling with the nickname “Terrible II” and he’s now starting to build his own legacy in the family business. A southpaw with impressive power, the Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native turned professional in 2009 and has yet to taste defeat in the ring. In 2011, he went 7-0 with five knockouts and he’s expecting to have another busy year in 2012, which has started with knockout wins over Ricardo Armenta in February and Edgar Martinez in April, the latter victory earning him his first pro title, the WBC International Silver Super Flyweight belt.
Morales’ Golden Boy Promotions debut will be announced soon. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or visit us on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page.
Published August 8, 2012 | By eastside | 1 Comment
As the younger brother of legendary and future Hall of Famer Erik “El Terrible” Morales and former World Champion Diego “Pelucho” Morales, unbeaten junior bantamweight prospect Ivan Morales has some of the best bloodlines in the sport. Now with the signing of a promotional agreement with Golden Boy Promotions, he will also have the best backing as he chases after a world championship.
“As the brother of Erik and Diego Morales, you know that Ivan Morales learned to fight from the best, but he’s proven himself in the ring as well and I can’t wait to see how far he can go in the future,” said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “When you mix his technical skills, power and speed with his youth and determination, I have no doubt that Ivan will eventually be a world champion in multiple divisions.”
“Everyone knows that the best fighters in the world are on the Golden Boy team and I’m proud to be associated with them,” said Morales. “It’s an honor and I’m willing to put in the work and fight anyone they put in front of me to get there.”
Twenty-year-old Ivan Morales (17-0, 12 KO’s) pays homage to his eldest sibling with the nickname “Terrible II” and he’s now starting to build his own legacy in the family business. A southpaw with impressive power, the Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico native turned professional in 2009 and has yet to taste defeat in the ring. In 2011, he went 7-0 with five knockouts and he’s expecting to have another busy year in 2012, which has started with knockout wins over Ricardo Armenta in February and Edgar Martinez in April, the latter victory earning him his first pro title, the WBC International Silver Super Flyweight belt.
Morales’ Golden Boy Promotions debut will be announced soon. For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com; follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing or visit us on Facebook at Golden Boy Facebook Page.
Broner: I’d f*** Pacquiao up
August 8th, 2012
By Chris Williams: Unbeaten former WBO super featherweight champion Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) really likes his chances against Manny Pacquiao if they were to fight now. Broner, 23, sees himself beating the Filipino star if two were to meet right now.
Speaking with Fighthype.com, Broner said this about what would happen if he fought Pacquiao:
“If he signed on that dotted line I’d f*** him [Pacquiao] up too…we could fight at 147…He’s used to not getting his hand raised.”
I believe Broner would beat Pacquiao, because he can do everything that Floyd Mayweather Jr. can do and is about as big as him. I don’t give Pacquiao any chance in the world of beating Mayweather Jr, and I think Broner would do the exact same thing to Pacquiao as Mayweather would. Broner would sit down on his punches a little more than Mayweather would and I think he could get Pacquiao out of there if he put hands on him.
With Pacquiao only looking to open up in the last seconds of the rounds, Broner would be free to tee off on him for long stretches of every round. The thing is if you let Broner hit you for 2 1/2 minutes of every round you’re not going to last long even if you’re Pacquiao.
In his recent fights, Pacquiao’s ability to move around the ring appears to have badly degraded to the point where he’s now walking around the ring and looking exhausted. Pacquiao’s defense in the past was his ability to move around, but with his leg cramping problems his mobility is limited.
August 8th, 2012
By Chris Williams: Unbeaten former WBO super featherweight champion Adrien Broner (24-0, 20 KO’s) really likes his chances against Manny Pacquiao if they were to fight now. Broner, 23, sees himself beating the Filipino star if two were to meet right now.
Speaking with Fighthype.com, Broner said this about what would happen if he fought Pacquiao:
“If he signed on that dotted line I’d f*** him [Pacquiao] up too…we could fight at 147…He’s used to not getting his hand raised.”
I believe Broner would beat Pacquiao, because he can do everything that Floyd Mayweather Jr. can do and is about as big as him. I don’t give Pacquiao any chance in the world of beating Mayweather Jr, and I think Broner would do the exact same thing to Pacquiao as Mayweather would. Broner would sit down on his punches a little more than Mayweather would and I think he could get Pacquiao out of there if he put hands on him.
With Pacquiao only looking to open up in the last seconds of the rounds, Broner would be free to tee off on him for long stretches of every round. The thing is if you let Broner hit you for 2 1/2 minutes of every round you’re not going to last long even if you’re Pacquiao.
In his recent fights, Pacquiao’s ability to move around the ring appears to have badly degraded to the point where he’s now walking around the ring and looking exhausted. Pacquiao’s defense in the past was his ability to move around, but with his leg cramping problems his mobility is limited.
If Mayweather fights the winner of Martinez vs Chavez Jr. You will see Mayweather box and use his legs a lot more. Mayweather is fighting a more crowd pleasing style and throwing more punches. Since the Mosley fight Floyd has been mean in the ring throwing more power punches. If small quick guys have problem landing clean shots on Mayweather, big slow guys are in for a long night landing on Floyd clean. If he fights the 160lb champion just WOW..
because it was oscar. if Oscar wants to fight u and he says what weight any fighter would do it because of the money, the fame that comes along with it and what it does to ur career if u win.
bernard hopkins had no problem fighting oscar at a catweight of 156 pounds for his middleweight titles. and u know what? hopkins knocked him out. no one complains bernard was weight drained or whatever and he was a 6'1 middleweight! people only complain if it fits their agenda.
pac weighed 142 pounds against oscar moving up from 135, so clearly he wasn't really a welterweight. cotto had no problem with the cw at the time. he got his ass kicked so some people try to use one pound as an excuse but the reality is he lost because of styles.
bernard hopkins had no problem fighting oscar at a catweight of 156 pounds for his middleweight titles. and u know what? hopkins knocked him out. no one complains bernard was weight drained or whatever and he was a 6'1 middleweight! people only complain if it fits their agenda.
pac weighed 142 pounds against oscar moving up from 135, so clearly he wasn't really a welterweight. cotto had no problem with the cw at the time. he got his ass kicked so some people try to use one pound as an excuse but the reality is he lost because of styles.
Oscar's one catchweight fight against B-Hop has nothing to do with Manny's 3 catchweight that moved him up to number 1 P4P.
You're missing the point completely if you can fight Oscar at 147lb with no problem in 2008, then why a year later is it a problem to fight Cotto at 147lb in 2009, then to make matters wrost Manny still wants a catchweight against a guy (Cotto) that he already TKO at a catchweight. Manny tried to make Cotto 2 for his June 2012 fight at a 148lb catchweight but Cotto turned it down and said that he would not risk his health with another catchweight fight..
Their is no agenda the fact speaks for themselves all of the hype and credit the Manny fans have given Manny for the last 4 years have been against weight drained or catch weight fighters. Cotto, ODLH, Margarito, Marquez.. Hatton is the only guy that Manny looked impressive against that was not a catchweight fight. Manny didn't look impressive against Cottley, Marquez, Mosley, and Bradley. Why?? Because non of these guys had to kill themselves to make weight so they had stamina to fight back.
Another funny fact is that Manny was the 147lb WBO champion for 3 years, but yet he never fought another champion at 147lb, and people claim that Manny is number #1 p4p. It's too funny to me..
I have no problem with Manny he beat up the guys infront of him, but I do have a problem with his overhyping by his fans, and his 3 years of ducking the Mayweather fight and OSDT..
FYI, Manny was not moving up from 135lb he was moving up from 140lb after KO'ing coked up Hatton, to fight Cotto.
You're missing the point completely if you can fight Oscar at 147lb with no problem in 2008, then why a year later is it a problem to fight Cotto at 147lb in 2009, then to make matters wrost Manny still wants a catchweight against a guy (Cotto) that he already TKO at a catchweight. Manny tried to make Cotto 2 for his June 2012 fight at a 148lb catchweight but Cotto turned it down and said that he would not risk his health with another catchweight fight..
Their is no agenda the fact speaks for themselves all of the hype and credit the Manny fans have given Manny for the last 4 years have been against weight drained or catch weight fighters. Cotto, ODLH, Margarito, Marquez.. Hatton is the only guy that Manny looked impressive against that was not a catchweight fight. Manny didn't look impressive against Cottley, Marquez, Mosley, and Bradley. Why?? Because non of these guys had to kill themselves to make weight so they had stamina to fight back.
Another funny fact is that Manny was the 147lb WBO champion for 3 years, but yet he never fought another champion at 147lb, and people claim that Manny is number #1 p4p. It's too funny to me..
I have no problem with Manny he beat up the guys infront of him, but I do have a problem with his overhyping by his fans, and his 3 years of ducking the Mayweather fight and OSDT..
FYI, Manny was not moving up from 135lb he was moving up from 140lb after KO'ing coked up Hatton, to fight Cotto.
No don't calm down at all try to get that big fight with Manny. Broner will have a good chance against Manny too. The Manny that fought Mosley, Marquez and Bradley can't cut-off the ring, is a sucker for counter punching, and only fights the last minute of every round. Broner is faster then all those guys and he has good stamina. Plus the x-factor is Broner punching power, he KO'ed a guy the Ghost couldn't. Manny has stamina problems after the 9th round and he can't hit a moving target. I say Broner should push for the fight ASAP. 22yrs old and your first loss is against Manny, or 22yrs old and you beat Manny. A win win for Broner.