Boxing News Thread

[heyzel]

Hopkins: Sergio Martinez’s style is easy to beat
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

sergio martinez bernard hopkins By Allan Fox: Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KO’s) doesn’t see anything in WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) that he hasn’t seen before in past opponents and he feels Martinez is beatable.

Hopkins said on his twitter “Martinez’s style is very easy to beat. Trust me, Tito [Felix Trinidad], [Kelly] Pavlik, [Antonio] Tarver, he [Martinez] just like them.”

I don’t see Martinez as being anything like Pavlik, Tarver or Trinidad. That’s not really good comparison to be honest. I’m not sure if Hopkins thought this one through before coming up with that comparison, because Martinez is like the opposite of those fighters.

Hopkins should know that the guy that Martinez most fights like is Roy Jones Jr. That’s someone that Martinez seems to have patterned himself after with the way he fights with his hands down and likes to pot shot in the same way that a young Jones Jr. did in the past. Martinez doesn’t have Roy Jones Jr’s lightning hand speed or his quick reflexes that enabled him to get out of the way of big punches in his youth, but he’s still a lot like him with his fighting style.

I’d like to see how Hopkins would do against Martinez if Hopkins were still fighting at 160. It’s not possible to make the fight now, however, because Hopkins fights at 175, and for the fight to happen Martinez would likely have to agree to move up to 168 lbs at least for the two of them to make it happen.

Given that Martinez is small for 160, he’s not going to move up all that weight to take on a guy that will likely rehydrate back up over 180 by fight time. It would be too hard on Martinez because he would likely end up badly out-sized by Hopkins and might mess up his body by moving up in weight.

 

[heyzel]

Schaefer: Canelo is ready for Mayweather, Sergio Martinez and Cotto
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

Richard Schaefer sergio martinez saul alvarez miguel cotto floyd mayweather jr By Dan Ambrose: Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, figures that his fighter WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) is now ready to take on the big names – Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Martinez – after Alvarez defeated welterweight Josesito Lopez by a 5th round TKO last Saturday night in Vegas.

Schaefer said to Fighthubtv.com “Tonight was the coming out party in a different way for Canelo Alvarez…Three names which jump out…Floyd Mayweather. Another one is Miguel Cotto, And another one is Sergio Martinez.”

This is kind of hard to believe that Schaefer feels that victories over handpicked fighters like Lopez, Lovemore N’dou, Matthew Hatton, Alfonso Gomez, Ryan Rhodes, Kermit Cintron, Shane Mosley and Carlos Baldomir suggest that Alvarez is ready for the likes of Mayweather Jr or Cotto. I can understand Sergio Martinez, but not Mayweather or Cotto.

Alvarez’s victories have prepared him more to finally defend his title against some live junior middleweight contenders for the first time like Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan than it has to fight Mayweather or Cotto. Lara and Martirosyan should be prerequisite opponents that Alvarez should fight and beat before he’s given a crack at Mayweather or Cotto. It just seems wrong to have a guy spoon fed older opponents for three years and then seeing Schaefer deem that he’s ready to fight Mayweather without having faced a quality junior middleweight from his own division. I do rate Josesito Lopez as a good light welterweight and a decent – but hardly great – welterweight, but he’s no junior middleweight and he shouldn’t have been in the ring with Alvarez last Saturday.

Golden Boy Promotions did a good job of protecting Alvarez by picking Lopez to fight instead of the much more dangerous Lara and Martirosyan. But there’s no way that Alvarez should get a fight with Cotto or Mayweather based on beating the guys that he’s been fighting recently. Alvarez needs to step it up and finally prove himself against someone good before he’s given a shot against Mayweather or Cotto.

 

[heyzel]

Schaefer: Canelo is ready for Mayweather, Sergio Martinez and Cotto
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

Richard Schaefer sergio martinez saul alvarez miguel cotto floyd mayweather jr By Dan Ambrose: Richard Schaefer, the CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, figures that his fighter WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) is now ready to take on the big names – Miguel Cotto, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Sergio Martinez – after Alvarez defeated welterweight Josesito Lopez by a 5th round TKO last Saturday night in Vegas.

Schaefer said to Fighthubtv.com “Tonight was the coming out party in a different way for Canelo Alvarez…Three names which jump out…Floyd Mayweather. Another one is Miguel Cotto, And another one is Sergio Martinez.”

This is kind of hard to believe that Schaefer feels that victories over handpicked fighters like Lopez, Lovemore N’dou, Matthew Hatton, Alfonso Gomez, Ryan Rhodes, Kermit Cintron, Shane Mosley and Carlos Baldomir suggest that Alvarez is ready for the likes of Mayweather Jr or Cotto. I can understand Sergio Martinez, but not Mayweather or Cotto.

Alvarez’s victories have prepared him more to finally defend his title against some live junior middleweight contenders for the first time like Erislandy Lara and Vanes Martirosyan than it has to fight Mayweather or Cotto. Lara and Martirosyan should be prerequisite opponents that Alvarez should fight and beat before he’s given a crack at Mayweather or Cotto. It just seems wrong to have a guy spoon fed older opponents for three years and then seeing Schaefer deem that he’s ready to fight Mayweather without having faced a quality junior middleweight from his own division. I do rate Josesito Lopez as a good light welterweight and a decent – but hardly great – welterweight, but he’s no junior middleweight and he shouldn’t have been in the ring with Alvarez last Saturday.

Golden Boy Promotions did a good job of protecting Alvarez by picking Lopez to fight instead of the much more dangerous Lara and Martirosyan. But there’s no way that Alvarez should get a fight with Cotto or Mayweather based on beating the guys that he’s been fighting recently. Alvarez needs to step it up and finally prove himself against someone good before he’s given a shot against Mayweather or Cotto.

 

[heyzel]

Bernard Hopkins: Chavez Jr. is nothing but a gimmick
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

Chavez Jr. vs. Martinez Chavez Jr Martinez julio cesar chavez jr bernard hopkins By Allan Fox: Former middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins got a little annoyed at the constant questions about former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the other day on his twitter and finally snapped at one of the posters saying:

“Stop asking me about Chavez Jr. He ain’t nothing but a gimmick. He don’t [know] that this is serious.”

What Hopkins meant by referring to Chavez Jr. as a “Gimmick” is unclear, because Hopkins failed to elaborate on that. He could possibly be referring to Chavez Jr. being popular in large part due to his famous father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr., a former world champion and one of the most popular fighters in Mexican boxing history. Chavez Jr. has gained some portions of his fame obviously from fans of his father.
But there’s no doubt that Chavez Jr. possesses some talent because he was able to knock Sergio Martinez down in the 12th round last Saturday night in the only round that Chavez Jr. let his hands go in. It would have been intriguing to see what Chavez Jr. could have done had he fought hard for the full 12 rounds rather than the last one.

I think if Chavez Jr. had fought hard for the first six rounds against Martinez there would have been a good chance that the fight would have never made into the second half. Believe me, if Chavez Jr. had hurt Martinez badly in the first half of the fight it would have been nearly impossible for Martinez to make it the full 12 rounds.

Chavez Jr. has proven that he’s a world class fighter with his wins over top fighters Sebastian Zbik, Marco Antonio Rubio and Andy Lee. Those are legitimate world class fighters and Chavez Jr. beat all of them quite easily.

It would be nice to see how Hopkins would do against Chavez Jr. if there was a way for Hopkins to come down to a catchweight to fight him. However, that’s not likely something that will happen because Chavez Jr. could end up facing a long suspension from having tested positive for Marijuana for his fight with Martinez last Saturday.

 

[heyzel]

CABALLERO STILL WITH MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TMT PROMOTIONS FIGHTERS?
By Ben Thompson | September 21, 2012

When new first broke that 50 Cent was in discussions with Manny Pacquiao about a joint promotional venture, it quickly became clear that he and Floyd Mayweather would not be working together when it came to the newly formed TMT Promotions. What's been unclear, however, is the current status of the fighters that were said to be signed to TMT Promotions. When WBA featherweight champion Celestino Caballero, originally signed to Mayweather Promotions, first revealed that he was now with TMT Promotions, it looked like there was going to be a merger between the companies. That, however, was before Mayweather and 50 Cent decided to go their separate ways, and now, most of the fighters who did sign with TMT Promotions have been left with their contracts and careers in limbo.

Such is not the case for Caballero, however, who recently had his contract redone, according to his world-class trainer, Jeff Mayweather. "Well, basically, of course with the breakup of TMT, his contract...no one knows who is supposed to be with who or anything like that, but I know for a fact with Celestino, just yesterday he had to redo his contract because he had signed with TMT Promotions as well," Jeff would tell FightHype's own Percy Crawford during a recent interview. While Caballero is fortunate to be able to have his contract restructured so he can rejoin the likes of Ishe Smith and J'Leon Love at Mayweather Promotions, the same can not be said for Yuriorkis Gamboa and Andre Dirrell, who were once being touted as the newest members of Mayweather's team before they officially signed with 50 Cent.

"I don't know what's going on with Gamboa and Dirrell because those guys actually took money from 50 Cent. 50 Cent actually paid them, so I think that they are probably his fighters. It's one of those situations that is unfortunate," Jeff would continue, noting that because both fighters had actually already received money, it might not be so easy for them to rejoin Mayweather if the wanted to. IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib was also said to be having his contract moved from TMT Promotions over to Mayweather Promotions, however, sources with ties to 50 Cent have suggested that couldn't be further from the truth, and that Billy Dib "isn't going anywhere". Whether or not that's the case remains to be seen, however, it appears as though 50 Cent plans on moving forward with his ambitions to be a promoter, and if so, it doesn't look like he's quite ready to give up all of the fighters he's signed.

 

[heyzel]

CABALLERO STILL WITH MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE OTHER TMT PROMOTIONS FIGHTERS?
By Ben Thompson | September 21, 2012

When new first broke that 50 Cent was in discussions with Manny Pacquiao about a joint promotional venture, it quickly became clear that he and Floyd Mayweather would not be working together when it came to the newly formed TMT Promotions. What's been unclear, however, is the current status of the fighters that were said to be signed to TMT Promotions. When WBA featherweight champion Celestino Caballero, originally signed to Mayweather Promotions, first revealed that he was now with TMT Promotions, it looked like there was going to be a merger between the companies. That, however, was before Mayweather and 50 Cent decided to go their separate ways, and now, most of the fighters who did sign with TMT Promotions have been left with their contracts and careers in limbo.

Such is not the case for Caballero, however, who recently had his contract redone, according to his world-class trainer, Jeff Mayweather. "Well, basically, of course with the breakup of TMT, his contract...no one knows who is supposed to be with who or anything like that, but I know for a fact with Celestino, just yesterday he had to redo his contract because he had signed with TMT Promotions as well," Jeff would tell FightHype's own Percy Crawford during a recent interview. While Caballero is fortunate to be able to have his contract restructured so he can rejoin the likes of Ishe Smith and J'Leon Love at Mayweather Promotions, the same can not be said for Yuriorkis Gamboa and Andre Dirrell, who were once being touted as the newest members of Mayweather's team before they officially signed with 50 Cent.

"I don't know what's going on with Gamboa and Dirrell because those guys actually took money from 50 Cent. 50 Cent actually paid them, so I think that they are probably his fighters. It's one of those situations that is unfortunate," Jeff would continue, noting that because both fighters had actually already received money, it might not be so easy for them to rejoin Mayweather if the wanted to. IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib was also said to be having his contract moved from TMT Promotions over to Mayweather Promotions, however, sources with ties to 50 Cent have suggested that couldn't be further from the truth, and that Billy Dib "isn't going anywhere". Whether or not that's the case remains to be seen, however, it appears as though 50 Cent plans on moving forward with his ambitions to be a promoter, and if so, it doesn't look like he's quite ready to give up all of the fighters he's signed.

 

[JLMACN]

Why is Gamboa taking so long to fight again?


He is one of my fav fighters......but dude is not 25 years old.

He needs to fight. And soon!

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Gamboa had some legal problems getting out of Top Rank (remember he pulled out of the Rios fight?) which have been settled. Top Rank let him go (I assume 50 cent/floyd/gamboa whoever paid some money and now he's with TMT).

Anyways...Gamboa vs Anthony Peterson and Bradley vs Lamont Peterson, that would be a sick card, although the latter is a stupid fight since bradley already beat him easy. But that proves 50 cent and bob arum are in fact working together, which imo is good for boxing as far as the immediate future goes.

 

[2-0-Sixx]

Hopkins: Sergio Martinez’s style is easy to beat
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

sergio martinez bernard hopkins By Allan Fox: Bernard Hopkins (52-6-2, 32 KO’s) doesn’t see anything in WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (50-2-2, 28 KO’s) that he hasn’t seen before in past opponents and he feels Martinez is beatable.

Hopkins said on his twitter “Martinez’s style is very easy to beat. Trust me, Tito [Felix Trinidad], [Kelly] Pavlik, [Antonio] Tarver, he [Martinez] just like them.”

I don’t see Martinez as being anything like Pavlik, Tarver or Trinidad. That’s not really good comparison to be honest. I’m not sure if Hopkins thought this one through before coming up with that comparison, because Martinez is like the opposite of those fighters.

Hopkins should know that the guy that Martinez most fights like is Roy Jones Jr. That’s someone that Martinez seems to have patterned himself after with the way he fights with his hands down and likes to pot shot in the same way that a young Jones Jr. did in the past. Martinez doesn’t have Roy Jones Jr’s lightning hand speed or his quick reflexes that enabled him to get out of the way of big punches in his youth, but he’s still a lot like him with his fighting style.

I’d like to see how Hopkins would do against Martinez if Hopkins were still fighting at 160. It’s not possible to make the fight now, however, because Hopkins fights at 175, and for the fight to happen Martinez would likely have to agree to move up to 168 lbs at least for the two of them to make it happen.

Given that Martinez is small for 160, he’s not going to move up all that weight to take on a guy that will likely rehydrate back up over 180 by fight time. It would be too hard on Martinez because he would likely end up badly out-sized by Hopkins and might mess up his body by moving up in weight.

Martinez would have been an easy style for a prime hopkins to beat, that's not a lie at all. Hopkins would have manhandled him.

Martinez is great now. In this era of a weak MW division (which is just now starting to heat up). But as I've said before, the past generation middleweights all those guys would have beat Martinez. James Toney, Roy Jones, Bernard Hopkins, Gerald McClellan, Nigel Benn, Michael Watson, Chris Eubank, Julian Jackson. All these guys were great middleweights with size and skills, something Martinez hasn't really faced at middleweight. His best wins are Macklin and mentally unstable Pavlik. Outside of that it's really, really thin. Williams who really wasn't a true middleweight and Chavez jr. who lets face it, was never going to be a great middleweight himself.

Anyways, that's not a knock on Martinez, just reality. Martinez worked his ass off for years to get where he is today and he deserves every bit of recognition, fame & fortune he's currently getting. Truly a unique story of a man who didn't start boxing till he was 20 and didn't reach the top till his mid 30's. Inspiring to say the least.

 

[CZAR]

Arum: Chavez Jr. smoked Marijuana because he was having problems sleeping
September 20th, 2012 | Post Comment

Bob Arum julio cesar chavez jr By Dan Ambrose: In the latest boxing news, Bob Arum, the promoter for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., was quick to defend Chavez Jr. after he was nailed yesterday for testing positive for Marijuana for his fight with Sergio Martinez last Saturday night. Arum doesn’t see Marijuana as a performance enhancing drug that would have given Chavez Jr. an edge in the fight. Arum feels that Marijuana should be legalized. Unfortunately, it’s still illegal and the Nevada State Athletic Commission has rules against fighters using the drug.

Arum told the LA Times “As far as I’m concerned, marijuana should be legal…[Chavez Jr. smoked pot] Three weeks to a month out of breaking camp because he was having trouble sleeping…It was therapeutic use for insomnia.”

Arum is correct. One of the uses for medical marijuana is to treat insomnia. However, you have to get a doctor’s prescription and it’s obviously something that Chavez Jr. needed to advise the Nevada State Athletic Commission before he used using it, even it was a one-time thing. Nevada is one of the states where it’s legal to use medical marijuana, but that doesn’t appear what’s happened here with Chavez Jr. unless he’s able to show the Nevada State Athletic Commission a prescription from a doctor for the use of the marijuana.

Chavez Jr. could end up taking a big hit on his career from this positive marijuana test. Not only will he likely have a big chunk of his $3 million purse for the Martinez fight taken away, but a lengthy suspension is almost a given. The last time that Chavez Jr. was found with a banned substance in his urine was when he tested positive for a Diuretic in 2009 before his fight with Troy Rowland. The suspension was 7 months at that time. You’ve got to figure that Chavez Jr. will receive a lot more than this time with the positive test for marijuana.

This means that boxing fans won’t see a rematch between Chavez Jr. and Martinez for a long time to come, possibly not until 2014 if Chavez Jr. receives a year suspension.
Popular

Haha Chavez Jr. was thinking about that ass-whoopin he was gonna get from Martinez lol. Got Em!!

 

[bigface]

http://content.usatoday.com/communi...ng-TopStories+(Sports+-+Boxing+-+Top+Stories)

Manny says he will take 45-55 split with Mayweather........and so it begins again.

But yet it was 50-50 or no fight when Mayweather wanted Manny on May 5th 2012. It's funny that Manny and Marquez talked more about Mayweather then their own 4th fight. Could it be that Top Rank is once again using a future Mayweather fight to sell this BS 4th fight. Top Rank knows that this PPV will not sell a million and that will be 2 under million PPV for Manny in a row. Manny and Top Rank is looking to cash out with a big payday. lol Mayweather don't need you to make big money Manny. He has Canelo, Cotto vs Trout winner , Berto vs K9 winner, and Martinez. Manny has no one to fight. Maybe 50 Cent can make a deal for the fight we will see.

 

[bigface]

BRADLEY-PETERSON II AND GAMBOA-PETERSON IN THE WORKS?
By Ben Thompson | September 21, 2012

WBO welterweight champion Timothy Bradley is scheduled to make his return to the ring on December 15th, and according to reports, it looks like he just might get a rematch after all. In a recent coversation with Lem Satterfield of RingTV.com, Arum hinted that IBF jr. welterweight champion Lamont Peterson is "one of the names being discussed" for Bradley. While Arum also mentioned former champion Zab Judah as a potential opponent, sources tell us that HBO has already turned him down as Peterson's next opponent (a mandatory title defense), making the chances of them accepting him for Bradley pretty slim. Assuming Arum still has plans to stage Bradley's next fight on the East Coast, you can bet that Peterson is the likely frontrunner to land the assignment.

Sources also tell us that there's a strong possibility that undefeated former featherweight champion Yuriorkis Gambo could be making his return to the ring on that same card, making his lightweight debut against Lamont Peterson's brother, Anthony Peterson. Gamboa is currently signed with 50 Cent, who was recently in California for a private meeting with Manny Pacquiao, Michael Koncz and Bob Arum. Evidently, the rapper turned promoter is working hard to secure TV dates for his fighters, and HBO has expressed interest in a potential Gamboa vs. Peterson matchup. We're told that all parties involved originally discussed the possibility of Gamboa fighting on the upcoming December 8th clash between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez, however, HBO would prefer to feature the bout in a doubleheader on HBO World Championship Boxing

Good night of boxing right here..

 

[Lamberto Quintero]

If chavez would have won, would the mj get him dq'd?

 

[2-0-Sixx]

stephen a. smith saying floyd is ducking now? wow tables have turned (don't shoot the messenger bigface, toney, et al)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIXy2wOIip4

 

[CZAR]

If chavez would have won, would the mj get him dq'd?

I believe last time this happened they did overturn a fight for it. Got Em!!

stephen a. smith saying floyd is ducking now? wow tables have turned (don't shoot the messenger bigface, toney, et al)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIXy2wOIip4

Who the fuck is Stephen A. Smith? Isnt he a basketball analyst? Anyway Marquez said on Sports Nation yesterday that Manny cant beat Mayweather. he has fought both of them and I would take his opinion over anyone elses. Got Em!!

 

[trips]

lol Stephen A. Smith dont know shit about boxing, he needs to speak/scream about some other sports other than the sweet science

 

[trips]

Tim Bradley has nothing to gain from a rematch with Peterson, he whooped him the first fight. Bradley is in a tough spot, hes easily the most hated boxer in the game today for beating the so called peoples champ in Manny Pacquiao. I dont think he will ever get the respect he deserves. Time to move on to bigger and better things like a fight with Floyd Mayweather. Fighting peterson will do nothing for bradleys career at all, a step back imo

 

[heyzel]

AL HAYMON SIGNS FOUR 2012 U.S. OLYMPIANS: GAUSHA, BREAZEALE, WARREN AND SPENCE JR.
By Ben Thompson | September 21, 2012

Al Haymon has just added four 2012 U.S. Olympians to his ever-growing stable of fighters. Terrell Gausha, Dominic Breazeale, Rau'shee Warren and Errol Spence Jr. have all officially signed contracts with powerful boxing adviser. Although details regarding their professional debut have yet to be finalized, all four fighter are expected to fight in either late October or early November.

Although it was a disappointing outing for the 2012 U.S. Olympic men's team, individually, the fighters still displayed the type of talent that could blossom into a successful professional career. With the commitment of CBS to air the professional debuts of boxers from the 2012 Olympics, these men will have an opportunity to get early exposure as they look to build their fanbase, and having Al Haymon in their corner will no doubt benefit them on their journey to become future stars of the sport.

Furthermore, keep an eye out for amateur standout Manny Robles Jr., who also recently signed with Al Haymon. After accomplishing a number of achievement during an impressive amateur career, Robles Jr. will be making professional debut next Saturday, September 29, at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in California.

 

[heyzel]

Cotto turned down $13 million to fight Pacquiao
September 21st, 2012 | Post Comment

Cotto Pacquiao Cotto vs. Pacquiao miguel cotto manny pacquiao By Dan Ambrose: Miguel Cotto (37-3, 30 KO’s) recently turned down a whopping $13 million to fight Manny Pacquiao at a catchweight of 150 lbs, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN. Instead of fighting Pacquiao for big money, Cotto will be taking on WBA World junior middleweight champion Austin Trout for considerably less than that.

Pacquiao’s promoter Bob Arum told Rafael about the $13 million offer made to Cotto for the Pacquiao, and that was a guaranteed offer for their rematch. It was after Cotto said no to the rematch with Pacquiao that Arum then selected 39-year-old Juan Manuel Marquez to be the one to fight Pacquiao on December 8th.

It’s hard to imagine Cotto saying no to all that money because his fight with Trout will likely bring in a lot less than that. Cotto would have been able to fight Pacquiao at least 150, so it’s not as if he was being asked to melt down all the way to 147 to make the fight happen. That’s a lot of money for Cotto to be turning down, especially when he could very well lose to Trout and then find himself much less in demand. Cotto has already lost his last fight to Floyd Mayweather Jr., and if you add another loss to that with the Trout fight, Cotto might have problems selling his fights on pay per view in the future.

If Cotto gets past Trout, then there’s a possibility that Cotto could fight WBC junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in a PPV unification bout early next year. That fight would do well on PPV, but definitely not as good as a Pacquiao-Cotto rematch. I’m surprised Cotto said no to that fight, because he’s never going to get Pacquiao to agree to come all the way up to 154 to fight him. He’s too small for that. Cotto should have taken that fight. With the way that Pacquiao has been showing signs of slipping lately, I think Cotto would have had a good chance of beating him in a rematch at 150 as long as Cotto did run out of gas.
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[heyzel]

HBO rejects Amir Khan vs. Humberto Soto fight
September 21st, 2012 | Post Comment

Khan Soto humberto soto amir khan By William Mackay: HBO has reportedly rejected another one of Golden Boy Promotions choices for an opponent for Amir Khan’s next fight on December 15th. HBO has already said no to 36-year-old Joan Guzman, and now they’re rejecting Humberto Soto, a former WBC lightweight champion, who is coming off of a 5th round stoppage loss to Lucas Matthysse in his last fight.

According to Dan Rafael of ESPN, HBO didn’t want to put together a fight between two fighters – Khan and Soto – who both had been knocked out in their last fights. It does make a lot of sense. That would be a terrible fight, especially with how bad Soto looked in moving up in weight to light welterweight in his last fight. Soto doesn’t look like he belongs at 140, and he needs to think about moving back down to at least 135 to try and recapture a world title.

Khan’s contract with HBO has run out, Rafael says, but HBO still is interested in showing his next fight provided that it’s against someone that they approve. This puts Golden Boy and Khan in a bind, because traditionally when a fighter gets starched as bad as Khan did in getting stopped in the 4th round by Danny Garcia last July, that fighter is given a soft touch in his next fight. But with Golden Boy still insisting that Khan is a top of the card fighter, then it puts him in a situation where he can’t fight a fluff opponent. He’s got to fight someone good for HBO to approve of the fight.

Just because Khan was knocked out in his last fight you can’t expect HBO to drop their standards and let Khan fight just anybody. We’ve already see Khan take plenty of easy fights against the like Paul McCloskey, Paulie Malignaggi and a past his prime Zab Judah. Khan will likely have to fight someone good if his next fight on December 15th will be televised by HBO.

Here are some options for Khan:

Lucas Matthysse
Mike Alvarado
Brandon Rios
Olusegun Ajose
Marcos Maidana
Jessie Vargas
Josesito Lopez
Tim Bradley
Kendall Holt
Ruslan Provodnikov

I think HBO needs to insist on Khan fighting one of these fighters. Anything less than this, then I don’t think HBO should agree to televise Khan’s next fight. They’re not in the business of showing poor quality fights, and I don’t think they should start now judge because Khan was knocked out in his last fight. It’s got to be the best or nothing at all.